Flamengo faced Grêmio again at the Arena and this time ended up losing 2-0. After the match, valid for the 17th round of the Brazilian Championship, coach Maurício Barbieri spoke to the press and commented on the defeat away from home.

"We played a bad game, there's no hiding that. Why was it bad? I think Grêmio tried to play the way they felt most comfortable. A more virile, strong game, different from Wednesday. Today was ugly on both sides. Both goals came from our mistakes. We made more mistakes, and they had more chances. A very bad game, but we're still going strong in the competition."

When asked if the changes made to the starting lineup influenced the defeat, Barbieri downplayed it, saying that tonight's result was due to the team not adapting their style of play.

"Jean Lucas is a fast and intense player. Today the team didn't work, so it's difficult to let individual talent shine. We couldn't put our plan into action. I think Lincoln came on well, performed well, and brought positive things to the game. We understood that those who didn't play would have a higher risk of injury. There's a debate about whether or not to rest players. We have to rethink our strategies. What defined the game wasn't the changes, but rather our failure to play our game."

Barbieri finished by talking about Vitinho's debut as a starter.

"We assessed Vitinho as a solid starter, but without much of a spotlight. In today's match, we felt it would be beneficial to give him some extra playing time to help him adapt. He wasn't the player we know he can be; it will take him some time to adapt to Brazilian football, but he's a player with a lot of potential who will be a huge help to us."

The Most Beloved returns to the field this Wednesday (08), when they face Cruzeiro at Maracanã, at 9:45 pm, for the first leg of the round of 16 of the Conmebol Libertadores.