Flamengo secured another great victory on Thursday afternoon (31). At the packed Maracanã stadium, the Mais Querido defeated Bahia 2-0 with goals from Diego and Lucas Paquetá, remaining at the top of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, coach Maurício Barbieri spoke to the press in a press conference.

"We had a good first half, and we tried to adjust and work on some things throughout the week. We've come off two games without the protagonism we had in the first half, and we wanted that. Diego played very well, and Lucas Paquetá also scored a goal, doing exactly what we agreed. We lost two players to injuries and had to make changes, so I had to take off Henrique Dourado. We were losing control of the match, so the idea was to go back to what we had before and take away Bahia's space. It's worth highlighting Diego Alves, who performed very well when called upon," said the coach.

When asked about Renê's performance, who provided two assists on both goals scored this afternoon, Barbieri celebrated his improvement. "He's been performing consistently well and rarely fluctuates. He's improving offensively, which was a point of criticism before, and I'm very happy. Other players are also improving. Rômulo came on in the second half and did very well, as did Thuler. As the team performs well, the players will improve individually," commented Maurício.

"Regardless of the opponent, we always strive for victory. We know the run is tough, but that doesn't change. I always say we have to unbalance the opponent on offense and do well on defense as well. We need to make the team understand that when we can't launch an attack like we did in the first half, we need to have more options. I don't want us to be a team that just waits on defense to counterattack," said Barbieri.

As he left the field, the coach applauded the Nation and received the affection of the fans. "I applauded to show that we need them all the time. When they come to the stadium and support us from start to finish, it makes a huge difference and is very important. The Nation is essential," he extolled.

The next red-black challenge will be on Sunday (3), when Fla hosts Corinthians, at 16 pm, in another round of the Brasileirão. The match will be at Maracanã and the Nation is called to support Mengão once again. Guarantee your ticket at: http://flamengo.com.br/ingressos

"We see it as just another final. The knockout tournament is like that; we need to be strong and always winning. Flamengo is very strong at home and one of the best home teams, so we're counting on that strength playing here to get this win. Corinthians is a great team, with a young coach taking over. I think it will be a great game," Barbieri added.