Love shines and Fla wins the second in the Brasileirão
Love's top scorer scores in the 42nd minute of the final stage and Rubro-Negro beats Palmeiras at Pacaembu
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Flamengo returns from São Paulo this Thursday with an extra weight in their baggage. Vagner Love scored a heroic goal in the 42nd minute of the second half, giving the team from Gávea three more points in the 2010 Brasileirão, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Palmeiras. With the result, the Rubro-Negro moves up to fourth place in the table with nine, surpassing Cruzeiro and Santos, who were unable to break their 0-0 draw at Mineirão Stadium, and Palmeiras itself. In the next round, the last before the Brasileirão is suspended for the World Cup, Flamengo hosts Goiás on Saturday at 18:30 pm at Maracanã.
For the Artilheiro do Amor, who was once again decisive, Palmeiras was a tough opponent to beat, but Flamengo deserved to leave Pacaembu with the victory.
"Palmeiras played well, they had a good game, but we were smart and took advantage of the opportunity we had. They could have taken the lead. They didn't, and we, thank God, got the victory," he said.
Little emotion
Coach Rogério Lourenço tried, once again, to surprise the opponent. During the week, Vinícius Pacheco, with a stiff neck, didn't train, but after recovering from the pain, he started against Palmeiras. Michael, who played in training sessions with the first team, ended up on the bench. Another change was Petkovic's jersey number, which he returned to 10 after Adriano's departure.
With the ball rolling, both Flamengo and Palmeiras failed to create many chances. But it was the home side who had the best opportunities. Cleiton Xavier and Ewerthon both came up with excellent chances to score. The number 10 was free, one-on-one with Bruno, but his shot went over the bar. The striker, in turn, hit a beautiful volley, but it was blocked by the Flamengo goalkeeper. Before the end of the first half, Marcio Araujo also came close to scoring with a header.
Love decides and Fla wins again
Both teams returned for the second half unchanged, but coach Rogério Lourenço urged Flamengo to change their approach. And just six minutes in, Flamengo nearly opened the scoring. Bruno launched the ball, Love controlled it spectacularly, and laid it off for Pet, who fired a powerful shot that Marcos saved. The move galvanized the Gávea team, which began to control the game. With more possession, Flamengo pressed but couldn't convert its dominance into scoring chances.
Betting on a key player in the penalty area, the coach decided to make changes to the team: he brought on Diego Maurício for Vinícius Pacheco. Shortly after, Petkovic felt pain in his left ankle after being fouled hard by Pierre, and, in tears, he made way for Michael. Welinton's free kick scared Marcos. In the 27th minute, Vagner Love managed to find the net from a pass by Diego Maurício, but Leonardo Gaciba ruled the goal out for offside. It was just a rehearsal of what was to come in the 42nd minute. This time, there was no way around it. The Love Gunner received the ball on the left, pulled it inside, and shot past Marcos: 1-0, with a little heart for the red-and-black fans, who celebrated their second victory in the Brasileirão.
TECHNICAL SHEET
PALMEIRAS 0 X 1 FLAMENGO
Stadium: Pacaembu, Sao Paulo (SP)
Date/Time: 2/6/2010 - 21:50 PM (Brasília time)
Referee: Leonardo Gaciba da Silva (RS)
Auxiliaries: Paulo Ricardo Silva Conceição (RS) and Marcelo Bertanha Barison (RS)
Yellow Cards: Pierre
GOALS: Vagner Love (43'/2nd half)
PALM TREES: Marcos, Vitor, Danilo, Mauricio Ramos and Eduardo; Pierre, Edinho, Márcio Araújo, Cleiton Xavier (Vinicius - 12'/2nd half) and Lincoln (Patrick - 27'/2nd half); Ewerthon. Technical: Jorge Parraga.
FLAMENGO: Bruno, Welinton (Fabrício - 41'/2nd half), Álvaro, Ronaldo Angelim; Léo Moura, Maldonado, Fernando, Petkovic (Michael - 25'/2nd half), Juan and Vinicius Pacheco (19'/2nd half); Vagner Love. Technical: Rogerio Lourenço.
For the Artilheiro do Amor, who was once again decisive, Palmeiras was a tough opponent to beat, but Flamengo deserved to leave Pacaembu with the victory.
"Palmeiras played well, they had a good game, but we were smart and took advantage of the opportunity we had. They could have taken the lead. They didn't, and we, thank God, got the victory," he said.
Little emotion
Coach Rogério Lourenço tried, once again, to surprise the opponent. During the week, Vinícius Pacheco, with a stiff neck, didn't train, but after recovering from the pain, he started against Palmeiras. Michael, who played in training sessions with the first team, ended up on the bench. Another change was Petkovic's jersey number, which he returned to 10 after Adriano's departure.
With the ball rolling, both Flamengo and Palmeiras failed to create many chances. But it was the home side who had the best opportunities. Cleiton Xavier and Ewerthon both came up with excellent chances to score. The number 10 was free, one-on-one with Bruno, but his shot went over the bar. The striker, in turn, hit a beautiful volley, but it was blocked by the Flamengo goalkeeper. Before the end of the first half, Marcio Araujo also came close to scoring with a header.
Love decides and Fla wins again
Both teams returned for the second half unchanged, but coach Rogério Lourenço urged Flamengo to change their approach. And just six minutes in, Flamengo nearly opened the scoring. Bruno launched the ball, Love controlled it spectacularly, and laid it off for Pet, who fired a powerful shot that Marcos saved. The move galvanized the Gávea team, which began to control the game. With more possession, Flamengo pressed but couldn't convert its dominance into scoring chances.
Betting on a key player in the penalty area, the coach decided to make changes to the team: he brought on Diego Maurício for Vinícius Pacheco. Shortly after, Petkovic felt pain in his left ankle after being fouled hard by Pierre, and, in tears, he made way for Michael. Welinton's free kick scared Marcos. In the 27th minute, Vagner Love managed to find the net from a pass by Diego Maurício, but Leonardo Gaciba ruled the goal out for offside. It was just a rehearsal of what was to come in the 42nd minute. This time, there was no way around it. The Love Gunner received the ball on the left, pulled it inside, and shot past Marcos: 1-0, with a little heart for the red-and-black fans, who celebrated their second victory in the Brasileirão.
TECHNICAL SHEET
PALMEIRAS 0 X 1 FLAMENGO
Stadium: Pacaembu, Sao Paulo (SP)
Date/Time: 2/6/2010 - 21:50 PM (Brasília time)
Referee: Leonardo Gaciba da Silva (RS)
Auxiliaries: Paulo Ricardo Silva Conceição (RS) and Marcelo Bertanha Barison (RS)
Yellow Cards: Pierre
GOALS: Vagner Love (43'/2nd half)
PALM TREES: Marcos, Vitor, Danilo, Mauricio Ramos and Eduardo; Pierre, Edinho, Márcio Araújo, Cleiton Xavier (Vinicius - 12'/2nd half) and Lincoln (Patrick - 27'/2nd half); Ewerthon. Technical: Jorge Parraga.
FLAMENGO: Bruno, Welinton (Fabrício - 41'/2nd half), Álvaro, Ronaldo Angelim; Léo Moura, Maldonado, Fernando, Petkovic (Michael - 25'/2nd half), Juan and Vinicius Pacheco (19'/2nd half); Vagner Love. Technical: Rogerio Lourenço.