Barbieri misses the nation in Campinas and awaits its presence in Rio.
The match was played in Moisés Lucarelli stadium with only one team's supporters present due to a punishment imposed on Ponte Preta.
By Lucas Dantas - in
After the 1-0 victory over Ponte Preta, coach Mauricio Barbieri expressed his satisfaction with the Flamengo team, which brought the advantage back to Rio de Janeiro. Now, Flamengo only needs a draw at the Maracanã on May 10th to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the post-match press conference, Barbieri commented on playing without the presence of the Flamengo fans. Due to a punishment, Ponte Preta cannot have visiting fans in its stadium, essentially playing with only its own supporters in attendance at Moisés Lucarelli. The coach spoke about the strange situation.
"The punishment ended up affecting Flamengo. Agreeing with it or not won't change anything. For us, it was a loss not having the fans on our side. When we did have them, like in Ceará, we became stronger. We miss them, but we're counting on them in the upcoming games," said Barbieri.
The scorer of the winning goal, Henrique Dourado, reached nine goals in the Sacred Mantle, showing that he is increasingly adapted to the team's system. For the coach, this demonstrates how well he can perform his role as a specialist.
"He's there for that. He's fought hard, helped a lot in marking, looking for the game inside, which isn't his usual style, and I'm quite satisfied with his performance," he added. Check out below the other points addressed by Mauricio Barbieri in the press conference.
Return of Guerrero
The assessment is important not only for Paolo Guerrero, but for all of us. We'll see how he returns from his trip and, if he's fit, we'll evaluate whether or not he can play in Sunday's game.
Vinicius junior
He's been improving a lot. He doesn't lack guidance, he doesn't lack training, and the run of games does that. A player needs a consistent run of games to mature, and he's been getting that. Vinicius is decisive in many moments, as he has demonstrated, and that helps us a lot.
Red-Black Nation
We understand that the fans always want more. It's natural. They want the victory and we try to work towards that. When it doesn't happen, we understand that they get upset. The vast majority have shown unwavering support for the team and when they show up, we are very strong.
Everton Ribeiro
We have a very good squad and we'll find solutions depending on the opponent. Geuvânio is a sharp player, he could contribute well and take advantage of the right flank. And Everton Ribeiro played a good game here, as he did in Ceará. We'll wait for Diego to be evaluated and, if he's fit, we'll decide what's best for Flamengo.