Flamengo draws with Santa Fe in the Libertadores Cup, away from home.
In a disjointed match, the teams failed to break the deadlock, and Flamengo returns from Colombia with one point.
By Lucas Dantas - in
Flamengo and Santa Fe faced each other for the second time in history and, for the second time, the match ended in a draw. This time, playing in cold Bogotá, the teams had few opportunities in the game valid for the fourth round of Group 4 of the Conmebol Libertadores, and the match ended 0-0 at El Campín. With the result, Flamengo reaches six points, maintaining its lead, while the Colombians reach four. River Plate and Emelec play this Thursday in Buenos Aires.
The game was balanced, but a play in the last minute could have changed everything. Geuvânio was free to score the winning goal, but the referee ended the match before the shot, provoking a reaction from the Flamengo players. It was the play that would have secured three points, but the team returned with only one.
The first half was balanced. Flamengo and Santa Fe had good opportunities, but couldn't open the scoring. Flamengo's best chances came from Diego and Vinicius Junior, but they lacked the final touch to pass to Dourado. The Colombians counter-attacked with Morelo and on set pieces. Paquetá and Vinicius also tried individual plays, but the attack didn't function well in the first half. In their best chance, the duo exchanged passes and Vinicius entered the area to take the decisive shot, but he was blocked at the last moment and the ball went out.
The home team returned stronger for the final stage. The first ten minutes were a Colombian blitz, well contained by the Flamengo defense. As time went on, Flamengo started to control the game and take more control. The first good chance came in the 24th minute. Paquetá received the ball from Diego and quickly turned to Arão, who shot from the edge of the area, but the ball went too high.
Mauricio Barbieri replaced Henrique Dourado with Geuvânio, placing Lucas Paquetá as the center forward. At 33 minutes, Diego dribbled through the middle and took a shot, but Zapata made a good save.
But in the final play of the game, controversy arose from a very controversial decision. In the 50th minute, Geuvânio stole the ball from the opposing defense and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the referee... Daniel Fedorczuk of Uruguay ended the match before the shot, with the striker free in front of the goal. And it ended in a draw.
Now, Flamengo turns its attention to the Brazilian Championship. On Sunday, the Rubro-Negro will face Ceará at Castelão, at 4 pm, for the third round. In the Libertadores Cup, the team returns to the field on May 16th, at Maracanã, against Emelec.