In a training match held on Wednesday morning (25) at Field 4 of Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo lost to the Serra Macaense team by 2 to 1.
In the first half, the Mais Querido fielded: Thiago; Pará, Réver, Rafael Vaz, and Miguel Trauco, signed from Universitario do Peru for this season. Rookie Rômulo formed the midfield duo alongside Márcio Araújo. Mancuello, Adryan, and Éverton played in the line behind center forward Paolo Guerrero, who led the red-and-black attack.
The match marked the debut of defensive midfielder Rômulo, the club's newest signing for the 2017 season, wearing the Sacred Mantle, who played the entire first half of the match. His midfield partner, fellow defensive midfielder Márcio Araújo, scored the lobbed goal that opened the scoring. Near the end of the first half, forward Elton Pereira scored the equalizer for Serra Macaense.
In the final period, which lasted 50 minutes, Flamengo fielded Thiago in goal; Rodinei, Léo Duarte, Juan, and Rafael Santos; and Ronaldo, Cafu, and Jean Lucas in midfield. Further forward, Marcelo Cirino, Vinicius Júnior, and Leandro Damião completed the team.
Rafael, playing at left-back, is a defender by trade. He partnered with Dener, captain of the Flamengo U-20 team, in this year's São Paulo Junior Football Cup. Jean Lucas was also one of the competition's standout players, along with the 16-year-old youth academy prospect Vinicius Júnior. After the technical break, it was Flamengo's number 10 in the competition, midfielder Patrick, who entered the match.
Serra Macaense returned from the break defensively and exploiting counterattacks. With space at a premium, the team sought to create chances on the wings, unlike the first half, when plays were more centralized. Flamengo pressed for much of this period; however, a breakaway down the left flank resulted in Daniel scoring the winning goal for the team from Macaé.
In the afternoon, Zé Ricardo will lead another training session with the team at the George Helal Training Center in Vargem Grande. The focus will be on the red-and-black team's debut in the Campeonato Carioca. The match will be played at Arena das Dunas in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, against Boavista. The game will kick off at 19:30 p.m.