On a cold Porto Alegre night, young Lincoln came off the bench to set the Arena on fire. In the final play of the game, as Flamengo crushed Grêmio on their own field, the young number 29 scored the equalizer, putting the teams on equal footing for the return leg at Maracanã on the 15th. After the match, Lincoln celebrated the goal and highlighted the strength of the Rubro-Negro squad.

"Once again, the game shows the strength of the team. I was very blessed with the goal, because I've been working hard. I was very focused, believing the ball would come my way. Renê was very fortunate to make the pass, so I got ahead of the first post and scored."

Tonight's match also marked Vitinho's debut for Flamengo. The striker joined the club three days ago and it was clear on the field that chemistry isn't a problem. Leaving the locker room, the number 14 expressed his happiness at his debut and thanked everyone in the squad for their welcome.

"It was exciting, I'm very happy. I'd like to thank the group again, Noval, Bruno, and the president for giving me this opportunity. I just wanted to give my best on the field. I want to thank my teammates for the welcome, because I felt very comfortable, which is why I was able to help the team. I want to keep working hard to help the team achieve its goals."

Vitinho also spoke about the difficulty of facing Grêmio away from home, but attributed the good result to the fact that the team followed the coach's instructions.

The result was very important. We know how difficult it is to play against Grêmio at their home ground, but we performed exactly as Babribieri expected. Even after conceding, we kept fighting and fought until the end for an equalizer. God blessed us with Lincoln's goal, and everyone deserves congratulations for their dedication and belief until the end."

Flamengo and Grêmio will face each other again at the Arena, this Saturday (4), at 19 pm, for the 17th round of the Brazilian Championship.