Duda proved this Sunday why he's so beloved by Flamengo fans. The embodiment of grit and love for the Flamengo jersey, the number 10 showed he's a true warrior, and even after the hard elbow he took last Friday in the match against Vila Velha, he returned to the court as usual to face Saldanha da Gama. He started the game and, despite being a bit apprehensive at first, loosened up and performed well.

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The first few minutes for Duda were a bit nerve-wracking. After all, he was the victim of an attack by Manuil, Cetaf's center, in the fourth quarter of Friday's 100-79 victory. However, as the minutes passed, the player gradually put that behind him and returned to being the Duda the Red-Black Nation knows.

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"I was a little apprehensive, yes, especially in the more physical plays, in the blocks... But, after that, I managed to loosen up, play my game and now it's time to keep working to continue helping Flamengo," he said.

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The player believes that, in this Sunday's victory, Flamengo demonstrated its main weapons in the fight for the third national championship: speed on the counterattack, strong individual marking, and the homogeneity of the squad.

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"Those coming off the bench are playing as well as the starters. This group strength is very important; we have a great squad, and that helps a lot. In today's game, the defense started marking very well individually from the second quarter onwards. This is our strong point, which allows us to quickly break out on the counterattack," he explained.

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Flamengo will now have plenty of time to train and recover injured players. The team won't play again until the 23rd, against Joinville, at the HSBC Arena. The team will have Monday and Tuesday off, and will resume training on Wednesday morning for a single session.