Carpegiani regrets late draw and emphasizes pursuit of three points against Emelec
Coach analyzes debut in Conmebol Libertadores against Argentine team
By Matheus Oliveira - inA bittersweet draw in the debut. After leading twice, the Mais Querido's debut in the Conmebol Libertadores ended in a 2-2 draw against River Plate. After the match, coach Paulo César Carpegiani appeared in the press room at the Nilton Santos stadium to give a press conference.
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Two crucial refereeing errors influenced the outcome of the match. In a play in the opponent's box, Réver headed the ball, looking for teammates who were moving in better positions to finish, and the ball was deflected with his arm by the Argentine defender. The Buenos Aires team then conceded an offside goal, with Mora being ruled offside.
The Flamengo manager lamented the incident. "In such an important competition, a very clear offside was the opponent's equalizer. In Réver's incident, with the stadium, I didn't see it, but I heard the noise. These things happen, and we end up paying the price," he said.
Carpegiani then explained the purpose of the changes made during the second half. Rodinei was the first to come off the bench, replacing Pará at the start of the second half. Subsequently, Romulo and Willian Arão replaced midfielder Jonas and forward Everton, respectively.
"Of the substitutions I made, one was technical. I wanted to bring on Rodinei to try to exploit that wing. He had some difficulty marking, but he performed very well," the coach noted. "The other two were physical. Jonas asked to come off due to cramps, which was our second substitution, and the third was with (Everton) Cardoso. When cold players come on late in games, it's very difficult to get back into the same rhythm. I wouldn't say it was crucial, but they are important things," he added.
Analyzing the match's progress, the coach highlighted the drop in intensity after Everton's goal, which restored the Rubro-Negro's lead in the 20th minute of the second half. Then, in the 41st minute, Mayada hit a long-range shot to seal the victory.
"We had some difficulties. We faced a well-formed team. But it's a result that leaves us with a very bitter taste of defeat. We scored the second goal and then paused the game. We paid that price. Now we'll have to fight back. There's no other result when we play Emelec than a victory," he predicted.
The duel against the Ecuadorian team will be played on March 14th. However, Flamengo's attention turns once again to the Campeonato Carioca, with the classic against Botafogo approaching. At the Nilton Santos stadium, the teams will face each other on Saturday (03), with the ball rolling from 17 pm.