In addition to the 41 points, complaints about the refereeing and the exchange of shoving and arguments with Alex also marked Marcelinho Machado's match on Friday night in Brasília. Flamengo's number 4 showed he was in the mood for a decisive match against his main rival and assured that, with willpower, no one can beat this team.

The current two-time Brazilian champion, the team from Gávea, remains steadfast in its pursuit of a third title. This Sunday, at 11:15 a.m., Flamengo faces Brasília again in the federal capital, and hopes for a victory to seal the series in the fourth game in Rio.

"This is how the playoffs are. In Rio, we led by 20 points, and here they led by 11. But then both teams tried to chase a draw. I believe these games will always be evenly matched. Each team alternated between good and bad moments. We had the chance to turn things around, but we couldn't. This proves we can win on Sunday. We'll go in with the same strength," he said.

Regarding the excessive number of fouls called by the referees and the confusion with Alex, Marcelinho warned that this is already a thing of the past and guaranteed that such controversies give even more motivation in the fight for the title.

"It was a balanced game, but I think the refereeing was very strict with the contact, they called a lot of fouls, and that hurt things a bit. Alex likes to intimidate, but he won't do that to me. It was a game thing, it died there, and we'll go in very motivated to win the game on Sunday," he added.