Noite brasileira yesterday. Athetico PR eliminates Libertad, Atl.-MG eliminates Emelec, and Corinthians performs the miracle - with nearly half the roster on the injured list - in Buenos Aires. Benedetto, thanks for never wearing SPFC's jersey. I'm sure Boca will be stronger now that they're about to sign Vidal..... oh wait, never mind. Glad all those pathetic clowns who showed their racism in Arena Corinthians will watch the Libertadores on TV now.
The Palmeiras game isn't over yet but worth posting a couple of things: 1. Yet again Palmeiras go through a game just going through the motions only to knock a ton of goals past the opposition late in the match. This one was 1x0 on an own goal until an explosion starting in the 28th minute of the second half. Currently 5x0 (8 on aggregate) and: 2. Rony got his bicycle kick. And it was a picture perfect one too.
So ... last 2 years, I didn't think we'd win the Libertadores. And I'd be completely fine with it. This year, if we don't win it, I am going to be pretty disappointed because this campaign has been damn historical even if the opposition has been weak so far. Averaging 4 goals a game isn't normal.
Flamengo up 1 x 0 already and with the chance to finish off the tie before 30 mins of 1st half. They should take the chance before Tolima gets their act together.
I don't think anyone expected 7 goals from Flamengo today. This is what this team should look like, at least results-wise, against teams of this level, and the only thing preventing us from getting to Libertadores and Copa do Brasil semis regularly should be a bad draw forcing a match up against a Palmeiras or Atlético in the quarters. 7x1 right now, 4 goals from Pedro and still 10 minutes to go. EDIT: Tomorrow I will get a kick out of the pundits who are still hopelessly pining for Pedro trying to make a case for him to be called up for the seleção. I don't think he has what it takes (I used to), but a 4-goal performance is obviously going to get some people talking.
I thought you guys might be screwed with BH's injury, but it looks like Dorival may have found something that works. And you still have Everton and Vidal coming in. Also, the criticism about the 1st leg performance was unfair. Apparently to get to where Tolima plays, you have to take a 6 hour flight from Brazil and a 5-6 hour bus ride (from what I heard). That's bound to affect players performance. In other news, River are out. They got really screwed with a legit goal called back via VAR. An absurd call. Turns out your side of the bracket really just opened up. Corinthians and then Velez / Tallares. Flamengo have to be liking its chances.
Dorival said (after the game I think) that he was thinking of Pedro and Gabigol playing together before he even joined. Whether he really did or not, the BH injury inadvertently helped him, because any average game by Pedro would get people to question whether they should play together and demand the BH/ER/Arrasca set up every time. Flamengo buys players to rotate, we need to accept that kind of rotation up front too. River's elimination opens that bracket up, but most of Corinthians' injured players should be back for the quarters (first week of August) and Flamengo will need to be at their best.
Well, not a bad start to the quarter-finals for Flamengo. Could have scored more, but on the other hand the match was looking even, if unexciting, until Arrascaeta's goal, which was as beautiful to Flamengo fans and neutrals as it was frustrating to Corinthians fans because of the handball (correctly not called). After that, 2x0 seemed like maybe one goal short of Flamengo's overall effort on the night, and keeps things alive for Corinthians, but just barely.
I mean, I realize that in theory tonight's game would be the toughest match of the QFs and potential SF. After all, the return game is at home and the potential semi is Talleres or Velez. But not so fast Palmeirense! Don't jinx us! One match at a time. Sai zika!
@Ombak As a fan of a team which has been far from the level of competitiveness your team, Palmeiras, and Atlético Mineiro (and Santos in 2020) have displayed, I can only exercise a measure of healthy envy. But that doesn't stop me from agreeing with @celito - your team is all but a semifinalist. I don't even have anything against this Corinthians. They were injury-depleted in the round of 16 yet managed to qualify against very difficult odds. It's just that their roster is markedly inferior to your team's. I mean, Flamengo has Éverton Cebolinha and Arturo Vidal coming off the bench (players who have won continental titles at either the club or country level or both!). And respect to Dorival Júnior, who is a good manager but not Tite-esque or even (at least in perception) at Renato Portaluppi's level, yet he has a very short time gotten Flamengo playing very tactically sound soccer. I often go to Brazilian soccer portals whose commenters are knowledgeable and some were saying as soon as the round of 16 ended that the 2022 final will be Flamengo vs. Palmeiras. Anything can happen, and I'm the type of fan who refrains from such predictions. But I do see why they'd say that. Palmeiras vs. Atlético Mineiro will be a war. At least on paper, the winner of this team should be seen as the favorite to win its own semifinal. But we'll have to see.
I am trying That kind of caution makes a Palmeirense proud . Cadê a soberba ? I will honestly be plenty happy with the Brasileirão title this season .
That was painful to watch. Just a bad performance. Riding too much luck again in these types of games.
I thought you'd be more optimistic considering the difference between 2x0 down at 2mins of the second half and how many chances ATM had wasted, and the end of the match, pulling off the late draw but I definitely understand the feeling that Palmeiras is tempting fate right now.
I can't be optimistic. Watching that game is like suffering for 90 mins mainly defending with next to nothing in counter attacking and hoping for a chance or two or set-piece chances. Perhaps Abel knows our squad is thin (and tired) and this is the best way to save energy, but it's extremely frustrating to watch. It doesn't lead to optimism ... even if it's how we won the last 2 Libertadores.
I've written before that despite being a SPFC fan, I have a soft spot for Flamengo as its 1981 victory over Liverpool is, along w/ the Brazil of 1982, one of the biggest memories I have of Brazilian soccer as a child. Flamengo did defeat SPFC over the weekend, but SPFC has a while to go before it's at Flamengo's level, so a defeat like that was not a shocker. Having said that, I don't have to rivalizar with Corinthians to expect it to be eliminated tonight. In Rio/as mandate and excluding finals, Flamengo hasn't lost in the Libertadores in 18 games between the group stage in 2019 (0-1 to Peñarol on April 3 of that year). In this tournament, when playing at home, Flamengo has scored 15 goals while allowing 3. Flamengo has drawn one (away at Talleres) and won every other match thus far. Overall, Flamengo has scored 25 goals in this Libertadores for a +18 goal differential. Corinthians boasts a noticeably more modest record. It just lost its most recent Libertadores match at home last week, and it won twice while losing once at drawing three times in the group stage. Corinthians couldn't get past a 1-1 tie vs. Always Ready at Itaquera, although its best result was probably defeating Boca Juniors at home 2-0. It scored 5 goals in the group stage while also allowing 5 - and with its defeat last week, its overall goal differential is -2. Credit to Corinthians for holding on for 90 minutes during the return match against Boca and then winning on PKs despite having an injury-depleted roster. What we saw last week was a good presentation of the gap between good teams vying for a decent finish in the Campeonato Brasileiro and the elite of domestic Brazilian soccer. It would take something very special and unusual for Corinthians to best Flamengo tonight. I for one already expect Flamengo to draw up logistical plans for an away match in Argentina; whether it'll be in Córdoba or in Buenos Aires is another story.
I think this game gets Pedro the call-up in September. His touches in the box are much faster now that he has rhythm, and his hold-up play has been solid. I think he needs to sometimes release the ball to a teammate in the box, but that's typical goal-scoring forward mentality. He stretched the defense at times, including the play that resulted in a red card to Bruno Mendes (harsh card in my opinion), set himself up for a great bicycle kick early and did really well to get on the end of Arrascaeta's great cross to score. 20 minutes to go, 3x0 aggregate. The first half was tense. Corinthians were solid and threatened at times. Flamengo were good too, but as long as the game was even and 0x0 there was some nervousness that Corinthians could make the come back. At 11 players against 10 though this should be over (there, @celito, I'm calling it early, a little bit of soberba!) Gabigol just missed a golden opportunity to make it 2x0!
I was only hoping for a goal from Corinthians to make you guys at least a little nervous. I am afraid that all these misses from Gabigol will end up in some special important goal down the line ....
Deu a lógica. Now will Palmeiras confirm its favoritism against Atlético Mineiro, a very strong team in its own right? And will Athletico Paranaense advance to a continental semifinal for the second year in a row?
How can you hold your foot back after you kick the ball like that ? Too much momentum. 2 freakin men down now.
That second red card is tough. I'd love to see some refs in the bs forum give their opinion on it. I think ultimately it's correct, but it comes from an Atlético player holding him back and the foul finally being called a little late. It's a complicated play.
Congrats @celito if you're still alive after that. Deserved qualification for Palmeiras. Atlético were toothless despite being one or two men up for much of the match.