Another great match and a beautiful victory at the Maracanã. With goals from Diego and Felipe Vizeu, Flamengo earned three more points, this time against Paraná, and remains in the commanding lead of the Brazilian Championship. After the game, coach Maurício Barbieri spoke to the press in a press conference and praised Flamengo's performance.

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“We have to have the Flamengo spirit. I think I've managed to contribute in some way, but of course the players, staff, and everyone involved also have a fundamental role in this. We greatly respect the club's history, everything it represents, and we want to have that Flamengo spirit. Despite the short time, the players have assimilated everything very well, and we are experiencing this very good phase. We don't want to be champions in numbers if that means winning the competitions at the end of the year,” said the coach.

Asked about the break in the calendar for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Maurício Barbieri focused on the work that will be developed by the coaching staff during that period. “We are totally focused on Palmeiras and we know that a victory there puts us in a great position. Everyone will go through this and try to come back better after this period. We will take advantage of the World Cup break in the best way possible, training, adjusting, and using this time to come back even better,” he reflected.

“We understand that we have a very qualified squad, and the players who are coming in are able to help a lot. Vizeu scored a goal, Arão provided the assist, and Marlos had a good chance to score, for example. We will study the departures first, since only Felipe is confirmed, to plan who will arrive. Vizeu is a player who has been helping us a lot, and I want him to help on Wednesday as well. He will be taking a big step in his career and has always said that he really wanted to play in Europe. We are happy that he is achieving this and we are rooting for him to have great success in his career,” commented Barbieri.

Peace and quiet during the break? For Maurício Barbieri, it won't be that simple. “That's a relative question. Regardless of the result against Palmeiras, we are convinced that we are on the right track. However, I always say that we haven't won anything yet. The second half of the year will be even more difficult; we have big matches to decide. The atmosphere in the locker room is one of happiness, of course, but we also want to be satisfied at the end of the year,” he said.

Flamengo's next challenge will be on Wednesday (13), when the Rubro-Negro will go to Allianz Parque, in São Paulo, to face Palmeiras. The match will be the last before the break for the 2018 World Cup. “We are on an important positive run, opening up a gap from second place. We know that Wednesday's game is complicated and difficult against Palmeiras, they really want this victory. But we will study a lot and prepare to try for this result at their home,” he added.