Love scores twice, Fla beats Vasco and is in the final
Rubro-Negro re-enacts the 2009 Rio Cup final against Botafogo next Sunday, at Maracanã
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
The dream is more alive than ever. Flamengo defeated Vasco da Gama 11.04-2 on Sunday afternoon (April 1), securing their place in the Taça Rio final against Botafogo. In a tense match, with numerous cards and two red cards, Vagner Love was the standout performer. The number 9 scored twice, taking the lead in the state championship with 14 goals, and securing Flamengo's qualification.
The victory makes this year's final a repeat of the 2009 Rio Cup final. Next Sunday (April 18.04), Flamengo and Botafogo face off once again. If Flamengo wins, they will win their second title in the competition and will have to play two more matches to decide the State Championship. If Botafogo prevails, they will secure the title early.
"We know we have to win. It's going to be a tough week, with a Libertadores game in the middle of the week, but we're focused on winning. We want to win this title and we're going to give it our all," said the match's hero, Vagner Love.
Tropa de Elite
If coach Andrade's intention was to gain a better defensive position in midfield by starting Maldonado, he achieved the desired result in the first half. Vasco had 65% possession, but failed to convert these numbers into scoring chances. This was largely thanks to the defensive trio of Maldonado, Willians, and Toró. The formation was reminiscent of the Elite Squad, which enjoyed success in the 2007 Brazilian Championship with Jailton, Toró, and Cristian.
Last Thursday, against Universidad de Chile, the red-and-blacks had the ball at their feet for longer but couldn't secure the victory. This Sunday, the strategy was different: seek to be as effective as possible, without touching the ball too much. It worked. Mezenga replaced Adriano and in the ninth minute, he delivered a beautiful pass to Vagner Love, who nearly opened the scoring. It was just a rehearsal of what would happen in the 10th minute. With another fine pass from the number 37, the Love Gunner dribbled past Fernando Prass and slotted home to make it 1-0 for Flamengo.
With the advantage and relying on the players' dedication in the defensive system, the Rubro-Negro largely dominated the match, even with less possession. Therefore, Vasco's players could only try to equalize from a set piece. In the 31st minute, Philippe Coutinho, having been neutralized by the Rubro-Negro midfielders, sent a corner kick to Thiago Martinelli, who leveled the score.
Love overcomes power
While the first half was a bit sluggish, the second half was all Flamengo and Vasco. The red-and-blacks grew into the match and, just seven minutes in, nearly extended their lead thanks to a Ronaldo Angelim header. The pressure continued, and in the 10th minute, Leonardo Moura also came close to scoring. Vasco's Coutinho also came close, hitting Bruno's post in the 20th.
Everything indicated that one of the teams would break the deadlock, and it was Flamengo who doubled the lead in the 26th minute. Leonardo Moura was rewarded for his persistence and, after bursting into the box at speed, was brought down by Marcio Careca. The penalty, calmly taken by Vagner Love, the top scorer in the Rio de Janeiro State Championship with 14 goals, made it 2-1. The Nação Rubro-Negra then exploded at the Maracanã. But in the 34th minute, Vasco got a reprieve. Juan was sent off for a foul on Fagner, and the Cruzmaltinos launched an attack in search of an equalizer.
Flamengo, however, managed its advantage well. With Kleberson replacing Mezenga and Fabrício replacing Vagner Love, coach Andrade locked his team in, waiting only for the final whistle to celebrate, as the Flamengo fans taunted Vasco: "My customer's back!"
TECHNICAL SHEET
FLAMENGO 2 X 1 VASCO
Stadium: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Date/time: 11/4/10 - 16:XNUMX PM (Brasília time)
Referee: João Batista de Arruda (RJ)
Assistants: Eduardo de Souza Couto (RJ) and Luiz Antonio Muniz de Oliveira (RJ)
Income/audience: R$ 774.920,00 / 24.299 paying customers
Yellow cards: Willians, Juan (FLA); Fagner, Titi, Philippe Coutinho (VAS)
Red cards: Juan, 33'/2nd half (FLA); Thiago Martinelli, 45'/2nd half (VAS)
GOALS: Vagner Love, 11'/1st half (1-0); Thiago Martinelli, 30'/1st half (1-1); Vagner Love, 26'/2nd half (2-1)
FLAMENGO: Bruno, Leonardo Moura, Álvaro and Ronaldo Angelim and Juan; Toró, Maldonado, Willians and (Petkovic, 23'/2nd half) Michael; (Kleberson, 36'/2nd half) Bruno Mezenga and (Fabrício, 46'/2nd half) Vagner Love. Coach Andrade.
Coach: Gaucho
The victory makes this year's final a repeat of the 2009 Rio Cup final. Next Sunday (April 18.04), Flamengo and Botafogo face off once again. If Flamengo wins, they will win their second title in the competition and will have to play two more matches to decide the State Championship. If Botafogo prevails, they will secure the title early.
"We know we have to win. It's going to be a tough week, with a Libertadores game in the middle of the week, but we're focused on winning. We want to win this title and we're going to give it our all," said the match's hero, Vagner Love.
Tropa de Elite
If coach Andrade's intention was to gain a better defensive position in midfield by starting Maldonado, he achieved the desired result in the first half. Vasco had 65% possession, but failed to convert these numbers into scoring chances. This was largely thanks to the defensive trio of Maldonado, Willians, and Toró. The formation was reminiscent of the Elite Squad, which enjoyed success in the 2007 Brazilian Championship with Jailton, Toró, and Cristian.
Last Thursday, against Universidad de Chile, the red-and-blacks had the ball at their feet for longer but couldn't secure the victory. This Sunday, the strategy was different: seek to be as effective as possible, without touching the ball too much. It worked. Mezenga replaced Adriano and in the ninth minute, he delivered a beautiful pass to Vagner Love, who nearly opened the scoring. It was just a rehearsal of what would happen in the 10th minute. With another fine pass from the number 37, the Love Gunner dribbled past Fernando Prass and slotted home to make it 1-0 for Flamengo.
With the advantage and relying on the players' dedication in the defensive system, the Rubro-Negro largely dominated the match, even with less possession. Therefore, Vasco's players could only try to equalize from a set piece. In the 31st minute, Philippe Coutinho, having been neutralized by the Rubro-Negro midfielders, sent a corner kick to Thiago Martinelli, who leveled the score.
Love overcomes power
While the first half was a bit sluggish, the second half was all Flamengo and Vasco. The red-and-blacks grew into the match and, just seven minutes in, nearly extended their lead thanks to a Ronaldo Angelim header. The pressure continued, and in the 10th minute, Leonardo Moura also came close to scoring. Vasco's Coutinho also came close, hitting Bruno's post in the 20th.
Everything indicated that one of the teams would break the deadlock, and it was Flamengo who doubled the lead in the 26th minute. Leonardo Moura was rewarded for his persistence and, after bursting into the box at speed, was brought down by Marcio Careca. The penalty, calmly taken by Vagner Love, the top scorer in the Rio de Janeiro State Championship with 14 goals, made it 2-1. The Nação Rubro-Negra then exploded at the Maracanã. But in the 34th minute, Vasco got a reprieve. Juan was sent off for a foul on Fagner, and the Cruzmaltinos launched an attack in search of an equalizer.
Flamengo, however, managed its advantage well. With Kleberson replacing Mezenga and Fabrício replacing Vagner Love, coach Andrade locked his team in, waiting only for the final whistle to celebrate, as the Flamengo fans taunted Vasco: "My customer's back!"
TECHNICAL SHEET
FLAMENGO 2 X 1 VASCO
Stadium: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Date/time: 11/4/10 - 16:XNUMX PM (Brasília time)
Referee: João Batista de Arruda (RJ)
Assistants: Eduardo de Souza Couto (RJ) and Luiz Antonio Muniz de Oliveira (RJ)
Income/audience: R$ 774.920,00 / 24.299 paying customers
Yellow cards: Willians, Juan (FLA); Fagner, Titi, Philippe Coutinho (VAS)
Red cards: Juan, 33'/2nd half (FLA); Thiago Martinelli, 45'/2nd half (VAS)
GOALS: Vagner Love, 11'/1st half (1-0); Thiago Martinelli, 30'/1st half (1-1); Vagner Love, 26'/2nd half (2-1)
FLAMENGO: Bruno, Leonardo Moura, Álvaro and Ronaldo Angelim and Juan; Toró, Maldonado, Willians and (Petkovic, 23'/2nd half) Michael; (Kleberson, 36'/2nd half) Bruno Mezenga and (Fabrício, 46'/2nd half) Vagner Love. Coach Andrade.
Coach: Gaucho