Dourado scores and Flamengo takes the lead in the Copa do Brasil against Ponte Preta.
Flamengo brings to Rio the advantage of a draw in the round of 16.
By Lucas Dantas - in
Flamengo started their Copa do Brasil campaign well this Wednesday. Playing at the Moisés Lucarelli stadium in Campinas, Mengão defeated Ponte Preta 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 16, bringing the advantage back to Rio de Janeiro. The goal was scored by Henrique Dourado in the first half. On May 10th, the teams will meet again, this time at the Maracanã, to decide who advances to the quarterfinals.
Goalscorer Dourado praised the team's performance in the first half, keeping Ponte Preta in their own half and ignoring the stadium being completely packed with fans from the Campinas team.
"It's always good to score goals. But the most important thing is the victories. We managed to neutralize the opponent, we did what the coach asked of us. The important thing is always to help Flamengo," commented the striker as he left for the locker room. Dourado scored his ninth goal in 16 games wearing the Sacred Mantle (Flamengo's jersey).
With Diego injured, coach Mauricio Barbieri fielded a modified team. Geuvânio dropped to the right wing, with Lucas Paquetá and Everton Ribeiro alternating in playmaking in midfield. And the strategy worked. In the first 45 minutes, Flamengo had 64% possession, more shots on goal, and spent more time in the attacking third. Ponte Preta used individual errors to try and create chances, but Flamengo's defense was very well organized and neutralized the São Paulo team's attack.
Just six minutes in, Léo Duarte opened the scoring after a cross from Rodinei, but the defender pushed Reynaldo and the referee awarded a foul. Despite having a lot of possession, chances were few. The team kept passing the ball around until Flamengo scored, in a beautiful team move.
Everton Ribeiro exchanged passes with Rodinei, received the ball back, and launched it into the box. The midfielder volleyed it first-time to Dourado, who was waiting unmarked in the six-yard box, to finish and run to celebrate, in the 32nd minute. With the goal, the team eased off a bit and let the time run out until the end of the first half.
The next 45 minutes saw little change in the game's dynamic. Ponte Preta tried to gain more ground, but Flamengo prevented the home team from playing and stringing together passes. At eight minutes, Everton Ribeiro took a beautiful shot from the edge of the area, but the ball deflected and went wide. Ten minutes later, Paquetá took a good free kick, but Ivan, well positioned, made the save. Barbieri substituted Geuvânio for Jean Lucas, pushing Everton Ribeiro forward and providing more breathing room for Flamengo's defense.
At 33 minutes, Ponte Preta had their best chance. Felippe Cardoso was free in the area and shot hard, but the ball hit the crossbar. On the rebound, Felippe again shot, but this time Diego Alves made a beautiful save, keeping the score at 0-0. Then, Mauricio Barbieri made another change, bringing on Pará for Everton Ribeiro. And Flamengo responded to Ponte Preta's attack with great danger. Vinicius Junior sprinted down the left and, as Ivan came out, tried to shoot towards the corner, but the ball went too high and over the post.
At 43 minutes, Flamengo almost extended their lead twice. First, Renê took a beautiful shot from a tight angle, forcing a great save from Ivan, who sent it out for a corner. Then, Vinicius Junior aimed for the corner of the goal with a low shot, but the ball went just wide. However, it wasn't necessary. One-nil, and the advantage went home to Rio de Janeiro.
And now?
Now, Flamengo switches focus again to the Brazilian Championship. On Sunday, the stage will be the Maracanã, for the match against Internacional, for the fourth round of the competition, at 16 pm. Mengão wants to maintain its lead.