On Wednesday night (16), Flamengo drew 0-0 against Botafogo at Engenhão. The star of the match, Colombian Cuéllar was important in keeping the defense safe and even risked dangerous shots on the opponent's goal. After the final whistle, the midfielder spoke to the press in the mixed zone and praised the red-black attitude.

"It's important not to concede in the first leg. We know Botafogo's quality, that they're a more defensive team with a very good counterattack. We didn't let them down, we held on, and we had opportunities to open the scoring, but it wasn't to be. We hope to take advantage of the next opportunity and win at Maracanã," said Cuéllar.

A longtime acquaintance of Reinaldo Rueda, the new Flamengo coach, the midfielder spoke about his first performance under his command and the importance of the squad's support. "The team has changed very little, given that he's only had two days of training. We have a great team that played a great match against Botafogo. It was a tough match, but we got a good result for the return leg," he stated.

"Berrío and I knew we needed to help him with the language issue. He's a great coach, and everyone needs to help him a lot. It was a great match and an important result for us," the Colombian added.

Flamengo will face Botafogo again next Wednesday (23), at 21:45 pm, at Maracanã. Before that, however, Mais Querido will face Atlético-GO on Saturday (19), at 19 pm, at Ilha do Urubu.