Flamengo wins and faces Botafogo in the semifinals
With goals from Mezenga and Kleberson, and a great performance from Vinicius Pacheco, the team defeats Boavista 2-1 and secures first place.
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
The goals were scored by Bruno Mezenga and Kleberson. But anyone who watched the 90-minute match between Flamengo and Boavista 2-1 on Sunday night will have no doubts. The standout performer was Vinicius Pacheco. The midfielder performed exceptionally well in the match, helping Flamengo secure first-place qualification in Group A. With this result, the club faces Botafogo in the Guanabara Cup semifinal on February 17th at 21:50 pm.
The game began with a surprise for the small crowd at Raulino de Oliveira Stadium. Andrade chose to field Fierro instead of adding another striker up front alongside Bruno Mezenga – starters Adriano and Vagner Love were rested. "I'm prioritizing those with more match fitness," he explained.
The coach's instructions were to explore open play on the right flank with Fierro and Vinicius Pacheco on the left. But the start wasn't good, and the best chance came from a Kleberson attack, which Mezenga shot wide. So much so that Andrade, during the technical timeout in the 20th minute of the first half, asked the team to move closer.
Flamengo returned with a stronger attacking presence. Juan headed the ball to midfielder Fernando from the right, but he missed. In the 28th minute, a good one-two with Mezenga resulted in Vinicius Pacheco firing a shot from outside the box, just wide of goalkeeper Vinicius's left post.
In the 30th minute, Boavista threatened. Toni Faria hit the crossbar. Their revenge came in the 36th minute, with a beautiful play down the right flank. Mezenga left Vinicius Pacheco in front of goal, who tried to put the ball into the corner, but goalkeeper Vinicius – one of the game's biggest names – managed to deflect the ball out for a corner. In the 40th minute, Léo Moura mounted a strong counterattack from midfield, but his shot was blocked. Soon after, in the 41st minute, the play Andrade had been calling for was made: Vinicius Pacheco reached the byline and crossed perfectly for Bruno Mezenga to head into the corner.
Upon returning from the locker room, Andrade said he urged the team to insist on playing down the wings. And the team came out aggressive, pressing forward with Kleberson and Fierro. In the 4:50 minute, Mezenga nearly extended the lead, but was met with a good left-footed save from goalkeeper Vinicius.
The punishment came in the 11th minute. From a corner kick taken from the left by Toni, Edson headed it past Bruno, leaving no chance for Boavista to equalize - the result, then, still guaranteed qualification in first place, as Fluminense and Olaria were tied at Engenhão.
In the 13th minute, the crowd rose to its feet when Juan nutmegged Rui. The tiebreaker came in the 15th minute, with a play initiated by Fernando. Vinicius Pacheco, already in the penalty area, on the left flank, passed perfectly to Kleberson, who made no mistake.
Just before the technical timeout, Alvaro and Leo Moura got into an argument. During the conversation with the players, Andrade urged the team to go for a third goal. "There's too much touching here, touching there. Let's speed up this game. Let's decide quickly."
At 22, Boavista scored a goal, but the play was not validated - the linesman signaled offside.
In the 25th minute, Juan went down in the box and called for a penalty, but the referee ignored him. In the 28th minute, two substitutions were made: Everton Silva came on for Leonardo Moura, and Denis Marques replaced Chilean Fierro. Denis Marques himself made a good play in the 38th minute, but was met by another good save from Vinicius. In the end, Boavista tried to equalize from set pieces. But Bruno, with a strong save, secured the result, leaving Flamengo with 19 points, three ahead of Fluminense.
Flamengo, ranked first in Group A, will face Botafogo (second in Group B) in the semifinals. The match will be on February 17th at 21:50 pm at Maracanã Stadium. The winner will face the winner of Vasco vs. Fluminense in the Guanabara Cup final.
Technical sheet
Boavista 1 X 2 Flamengo
Location: Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, in Volta Redonda (RJ)
Date: February 7, 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 19:30 (from Brasilia)
Referee: Mauricio Coelho Junior
Assistants: Francisco de Sousa and Rodrigo Correa
Yellow cards: Paulo Rodrigues, Júlio César, Douglas and Léo Faria (B); Juan and Lenon (F)
Goals: Boavista (Édson, 11 minutes into the second half) and Flamengo (Bruno Mezenga, 41 minutes into the first half; and Kléberson, 15 minutes into the second half).
Coach: Emerson Ávila
Flamengo: Bruno; Léo Moura (Everton Silva), Álvaro, Fabrício and Juan (Wellington); Lenon, Fernando, Kleberson and Fierro (Denis Marques); Vinicius Pacheco and Mezenga. Coach: Andrade
The game began with a surprise for the small crowd at Raulino de Oliveira Stadium. Andrade chose to field Fierro instead of adding another striker up front alongside Bruno Mezenga – starters Adriano and Vagner Love were rested. "I'm prioritizing those with more match fitness," he explained.
The coach's instructions were to explore open play on the right flank with Fierro and Vinicius Pacheco on the left. But the start wasn't good, and the best chance came from a Kleberson attack, which Mezenga shot wide. So much so that Andrade, during the technical timeout in the 20th minute of the first half, asked the team to move closer.
Flamengo returned with a stronger attacking presence. Juan headed the ball to midfielder Fernando from the right, but he missed. In the 28th minute, a good one-two with Mezenga resulted in Vinicius Pacheco firing a shot from outside the box, just wide of goalkeeper Vinicius's left post.
In the 30th minute, Boavista threatened. Toni Faria hit the crossbar. Their revenge came in the 36th minute, with a beautiful play down the right flank. Mezenga left Vinicius Pacheco in front of goal, who tried to put the ball into the corner, but goalkeeper Vinicius – one of the game's biggest names – managed to deflect the ball out for a corner. In the 40th minute, Léo Moura mounted a strong counterattack from midfield, but his shot was blocked. Soon after, in the 41st minute, the play Andrade had been calling for was made: Vinicius Pacheco reached the byline and crossed perfectly for Bruno Mezenga to head into the corner.
Upon returning from the locker room, Andrade said he urged the team to insist on playing down the wings. And the team came out aggressive, pressing forward with Kleberson and Fierro. In the 4:50 minute, Mezenga nearly extended the lead, but was met with a good left-footed save from goalkeeper Vinicius.
The punishment came in the 11th minute. From a corner kick taken from the left by Toni, Edson headed it past Bruno, leaving no chance for Boavista to equalize - the result, then, still guaranteed qualification in first place, as Fluminense and Olaria were tied at Engenhão.
In the 13th minute, the crowd rose to its feet when Juan nutmegged Rui. The tiebreaker came in the 15th minute, with a play initiated by Fernando. Vinicius Pacheco, already in the penalty area, on the left flank, passed perfectly to Kleberson, who made no mistake.
Just before the technical timeout, Alvaro and Leo Moura got into an argument. During the conversation with the players, Andrade urged the team to go for a third goal. "There's too much touching here, touching there. Let's speed up this game. Let's decide quickly."
At 22, Boavista scored a goal, but the play was not validated - the linesman signaled offside.
In the 25th minute, Juan went down in the box and called for a penalty, but the referee ignored him. In the 28th minute, two substitutions were made: Everton Silva came on for Leonardo Moura, and Denis Marques replaced Chilean Fierro. Denis Marques himself made a good play in the 38th minute, but was met by another good save from Vinicius. In the end, Boavista tried to equalize from set pieces. But Bruno, with a strong save, secured the result, leaving Flamengo with 19 points, three ahead of Fluminense.
Flamengo, ranked first in Group A, will face Botafogo (second in Group B) in the semifinals. The match will be on February 17th at 21:50 pm at Maracanã Stadium. The winner will face the winner of Vasco vs. Fluminense in the Guanabara Cup final.
Technical sheet
Boavista 1 X 2 Flamengo
Location: Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, in Volta Redonda (RJ)
Date: February 7, 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 19:30 (from Brasilia)
Referee: Mauricio Coelho Junior
Assistants: Francisco de Sousa and Rodrigo Correa
Yellow cards: Paulo Rodrigues, Júlio César, Douglas and Léo Faria (B); Juan and Lenon (F)
Goals: Boavista (Édson, 11 minutes into the second half) and Flamengo (Bruno Mezenga, 41 minutes into the first half; and Kléberson, 15 minutes into the second half).
Coach: Emerson Ávila
Flamengo: Bruno; Léo Moura (Everton Silva), Álvaro, Fabrício and Juan (Wellington); Lenon, Fernando, Kleberson and Fierro (Denis Marques); Vinicius Pacheco and Mezenga. Coach: Andrade