Fla fights until the end, but fails to overcome Inter
Colorados open the scoring early in the game and hold on to a 1-0 victory until the final whistle
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - inPorto Alegre (RS) - A packed house, plenty of ball battles and scoring chances. The match between Flamengo and Internacional in Porto Alegre for this year's Brazilian Championship was nothing like what happened in 2009, when heavy rain—which was also expected this Sunday (July 25.07) but only appeared lightly—prevented both teams from showing their best football.
This time, it was different. The current Brasileirão champions and runners-up played a game worthy of their traditions and rivalry. And in the battle for a spot in the top four, the home team ended up leaving the Giant the happiest. Taison opened the scoring for the Gauchos early, just four minutes into the game, and despite pressing throughout the second half, Flamengo couldn't equalize, and the match ended in a 4-1 victory for the Colorados.
The red-black squad returns to Rio on Sunday night, has Monday off (26.07) and has the whole week to train in Gávea before next Sunday's classic against Vasco.
Taison opens the scoring
The first half was balanced. Pressing hard and passing the ball well, Flamengo started the match better and narrowly missed opening the scoring with a header from Rômulo, which hit the crossbar in the third minute. But Inter opened the scoring a minute later. In the fourth minute, Taison hit a beautiful shot from outside the box, leaving Marcelo Lomba with no chance: 1-0.
The goal buoyed the Colorados, but didn't scare the Flamengos, who almost equalized with another aerial ball, this time through Jean, in the 11th minute. Internacional tried to attack down the left, with Everton, Juan, and Taison, but Flamengo's well-positioned defense gave them little space. When they did, however, the home team posed a threat: in the 28th minute, Rafael Sóbis nearly scored the second, which also almost went in the 32nd minute, after a rebound inside the Flamengo box.
The last chance, however, fell to the team from Gávea. In stoppage time, Vinícius Pacheco received the ball up front, cut inside, and shot. However, his shot hit the Inter defense, and the first-half score was 1-0 for the Gaúchos.
Electrifying second half
To try to turn things around in the second half, coach Rogério Lourenço made two changes right at halftime, bringing on the long-awaited debuts of Marquinhos and Val Baiano. Rômulo and Diego Maurício were substituted. Just two minutes in, Val was brought down at the edge of the box: a free kick, which Pet sent into the wall. In the fifth minute, another free kick was awarded, this time on Marquinhos. This time, Leo Moura took the shot, but the ball also failed to go in.
With Marquinhos wide on one wing and Vinícius Pacheco on the other, Flamengo gained pace and emerged as a more attacking team. Inter, on the other hand, sought to exploit the space to launch counterattacks. This clash became evident between the ninth and tenth minutes of the second half, when Vinícius Pacheco first missed a good chance to equalize for Flamengo with a run down the right flank, and soon after, Taison nearly extended the lead for Inter with a fast sprint.
In the 21st minute, Petkovic, with a venomous corner kick, came close to equalizing, but the Colorado defense cleared it off the line. From then on, Inter tried to control possession, while Flamengo sought an equalizer. Rogério Lourenço even replaced Vinícius Pacheco with Cristian Borja, aiming for another key player in the box, but despite the Colombian's strong start, the score remained unchanged, and Inter prevailed.
INTERNACIONAL 1 X 0 FLAMENGO
\Date: 25/07/2010 (Sunday)
Location: Beira-Rio stadium, in Porto Alegre
Referee: Wilson Luiz Seneme
Assistants: Ednílson Corona and Emerson Augusto de Carvalho
Audience: 25.002
Income: R$ 357.265,00
Yellow cards: Jean (FLA), Taison (INT), Vinicius Pacheco (FLA), Daniel (INT), Tinga (INT), Juan (INT), Giuliano (INT)
Goals: Taison, 5 minutes into the first half;
International: Renan; Daniel, Índio, Fabiano Eller and Juan; W. Matias, Guiñazu, Tinga (Derley), Taison (Andrezinho) and Rafael Sóbis (Giuliano); Everton. Coach: Celso Roth
\Flamengo: Marcelo Lomba; Leo Moura, Jean, Ronaldo Angelim and Juan. Romulo (Marquinhos), Willians, Correa and Petkovic. Vinicius Pacheco (Cristian Borja) and Diego Mauricio (Val Baiano). Coach: Rogério Lourenço
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