Leandro Damião, who scored Flamengo's second goal on Wednesday night, saw the team beat Bangu 3-0, celebrated another goal of the season. The result secured Flamengo's place in the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca. Despite qualifying, the center forward doesn't see the team feeling discouraged for the rest of the Taça Rio.
"Just wearing this jersey is incredibly motivating," said Damião. "For me, who played in the amateur leagues and always dreamed of joining a big club like Flamengo, it's incredibly satisfying. I hope we can maintain this in our games and not get complacent. Our team is very mature in this regard, as we stumbled a few times last year and we don't want to do that again," commented the number 18.
The opponent on Wednesday night (22) came onto the field with a well-defined game plan, closing in on defense and looking to counterattack, which was promptly neutralized by the red-black athletes. Despite the good performance, Zé Ricardo's men found it difficult to break through the blockade imposed by Bangu.
"It was the same against Resende, where we only scored at the very end. Today we managed to score a little earlier," celebrated the center forward. "It's difficult, the teams play very defensively against us, and that hinders us, as we can't get into their box easily. Today we managed it through crosses and Renê's beautiful shot," he added.
This Sunday, the Mais Querido will face Vasco in the Rio Cup. The match will be played at the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília, with kickoff starting at 18:30 p.m.