Barbieri values the point earned away from home against Santa Fé.
Coach calls referee's decision to end the match during Flamengo's attack "unfortunate".
By Lucas Dantas - inFlamengo's coach, Mauricio Barbieri, spoke about the team's performance in the goalless draw against Santa Fe in Bogotá, for the fourth round of the Conmebol Libertadores. According to the coach, the team sought victory and faced a difficult match, valuing the point gained away from home.
“I disagree with the assessment that there was a lack of will. There was no lack of effort. It was a difficult and intense game. We lacked a bit of composure up front to finish. We had good counter-attacks, but we didn't make good choices. We weren't able to play like we did last Wednesday, to impose our game plan,” Barbieri said in the post-match press conference.
The game had many controversial refereeing decisions, which, according to the coach, harmed Flamengo. But Barbieri himself points out that the referees made mistakes for both sides.
“We earned an important point away from home, in these conditions of altitude and with the opponent pressing. The refereeing was controversial for both sides; it seems there was a handball by Henrique Dourado, but there was also a corner kick where Réver was clearly held inside the area. And the Geuvânio incident. He had the opportunity to end the game when the ball was in play, he had the opportunity when the ball was at the feet of the Santa Fé defender, and at the moment we stole the ball, he ended the game. I think it was unfortunate. It doesn't change what happened during the game, but without a doubt it was a crucial moment that could have favored us,” concluded the coach, who showed confidence for the upcoming matches.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted. The result was satisfactory, but we wanted the victory. I trust the squad and I have no reason to be uneasy,” Barbieri concluded.
Flamengo returns to Rio immediately after the match and will face Ceará next Sunday at Castelão Stadium for the Brazilian Championship at 4 PM. For the Conmebol Libertadores, the team plays against Emelec on May 16th in Rio de Janeiro.