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Flamengo is the champion of the Copa do Brasil 2024. The team beat Atlético-MG again this Sunday (10), 1 x 0, at Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte. In the first match, in Rio, Flamengo won 3 x 1. This is the fifth title in the history of the team, which was also champion in 1990, 2006, 2013 and 2022.
The achievement is also Filipe Luís's first as a coach. The former player took over Flamengo at the beginning of October, to replace Tite. The title adds to two Brasileirão (2019 and 2020), two Libertadores (2019 and 2022), two Supercups (2020 and 2021), one Recopa Sul-Americana (2020), two Cariocas (2020 and 2021) and one Copa do Brazil (2022) which he won as a player with Flamengo.
But it wasn't all joy after the final whistle. At the microphones, top scorer Gabriel Barbosa, known as Gabigol, announced his departure from the club. “That was my last final. I'm not going to stay at Flamengo, but the affection is immense and reciprocal. Now it’s time to get excited and enjoy these missing games.”he said, before amending criticisms of the club.
In recent years, there were negotiations in which the board shook my hand, my father's hand and then things ended up happening that I didn't like”, he added. He also harshly criticized Tite, the team's former coach, saying he did not respect him as a player. “It was a horrible moment for me”, he said. The striker's destination should be Cruzeiro, Atlético-MG's rival.
The game
Behind on the aggregate score, Atlético-MG sought to dominate the actions, but without rushing. On the other hand, Flamengo defended itself well, giving the Minas Gerais team no chance to create opportunities. In a counterattack, the first attempt close to the goal was Gerson, launched by Arrascaeta, but stopped by Everson.
Milito's team maintained a calm posture to attack Flamengo. This did not reduce the team's intensity. Hulk and Paulinho formed a pair side by side, with Scarpa and Arana on the wings. Zaracho, who won the place for the decision, floated as a passing option for all the front players.
Atlético-MG, however, insisted on launches looking for the attacking duo. This even surpassed Pulgar's marking and allowed Hulk and Paulinho to be free, in front of the defenders. However, none of the times did they actually manage to dominate their teammates' attempts.
Flamengo, on the other hand, preferred to advance by exchanging passes in quick transitions. So there was a sequence of arrivals on the right side with Wesley. In one of them, Arrascaeta headed wide. Then, the ball was left for the boy Evertton Araújo to hit from outside the area with danger. The exposure was the risk that Atlético-MG took to be able to launch a full attack, but there was no guarantee that the Flamengo fans would continue to make mistakes.
Atlético-MG only had the best chances when they finished from outside the area. On two occasions, Rossi palmed the ball and almost handed it to his opponents, but saved it. A third error almost resulted in a goal, when the Argentine came out with the ball at his feet, but under pressure from Paulinho, he had to share with the attacker to send it to a corner.
The rush, previously non-existent for the Minas Gerais team, was present at the end of the first half. Two goals were still needed to take the decision to penalties, when the teams went down to the dressing rooms. Thus, Atletico came back with pressure. But again, the one who arrived with the most danger was Flamengo. Rossi launched Bruno Henrique, Filipe Luís's choice to replace Gabigol in the second stage. The number 27 started from midfield and tried to dig in for Everson, but the goalkeeper managed to deflect it for a corner.
The bid was an exception. The keynote was athletic pressure. Patience was greater than at the end of the first half. The exhibition too. The team attacked with 10 outfield players on the offensive field. A certain preciousness harmed him. Even when Atlético-MG arrived in the area, the team tried one more touch before finishing and thus missed good chances.
Filipe Luís' strategy was to look for more counterattacks. Bruno Henrique again had a chance face to face with Everson and tried to cover it up. Once again, the goalkeeper managed to save. He also saved two more Flamengo chances created from quick transitions and a third with a shot from Alex Sandro almost in the small area.
The missed chances, in fact, continued to be repeated on both sides. Then, it was in front of Rossi's goal that the ball bounced without anyone pushing it towards the goal. It was then that Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata, called up by Filipe Luís at 23 in the second half, decided to put an end to the missed chances.
Once again on the counterattack, Bruno Henrique threw it to his teammate. Plata left the defense field, dribbled past Saraiva and faced Everson. This time, the wall was unable to hold. The number 45 covered up the Atletico player and sealed Flamengo's title.
The celebration erupted into chaos. Part of the record audience of 44,876 people at Arena MRV insisted on throwing glasses at the Flamengo fans. One man even invaded the field and was detained. The game was sadly stopped. When he returned, the rhythm was already different. Atlético-MG was a victim of its own fans and was demobilized. A bomb thrown near Rossi stopped the game again.
Everson performed two more miracles, while the attackers tried, unsuccessfully, to respond. Better for Flamengo, who are five-time champions. The two teams will face each other again in the 33rd round of the Brasileirão on Wednesday, at 8 pm, at Maracanã, in Rio.
ATLÉTICO-MG 0 X 1 FLAMENGO
ATLÉTICO-MG – Everson; Lyanco (Saravia), Battaglia and Junior Alonso; Gustavo Scarpa (Alisson Santana), Otávio (Alan Kardec) Alan Franco, Zaracho (Bernard) and Guilherme Arana (Rubens); Hulk and Paulinho. Technical: Gabriel Milito
FLAMENGO – Rossi; Wesley, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira (David Luiz) and Alex Sandro; Erick Pulgar, Evertton Araújo, Gerson and Arrascaeta (Fabrício Bruno); Gabigol (Bruno Henrique) and Michael (Gonzalo Plata). Technical: Filipe Luís.
GOL – Gonzalo Plata, 36 minutes into the second half.
YELLOW CARDS – Lyanco and Igor Rabello (Atlético-MG) and Erick Pulgar and Evertton Araújo (Flamengo).
RED CARD – Saravia (Atlético-MG).
REFEREE – Raphael Claus (Fifa-SP).
PUBLIC – 44,876 present.
INCOME – R$ 10.410.129,58.
LOCAL – MRV Arena, in Belo Horizonte.
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