Flamengo achieved a very important result away from home in the 12th round of the Brazilian Championship. The 1-1 draw with Palmeiras The team maintained its lead in the standings, extending its gap to four points over second-placed São Paulo, their next opponent after the World Cup break. Coach Mauricio Barbieri said the result should be celebrated, even though the team was aiming for the win. The circumstances of the match led to a late equalizer, which ultimately benefited Flamengo. 

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We know that it is difficult Playing here... Palmeiras has a complicated squad. We're going in with a young team, six young players mixed with the experience of Everton Ribeiro, for example. "We had our ups and downs, at times Palmeiras was better. We had a clear chance with Vinicius Junior to win the game, but unfortunately the ball didn't go in," said Barbieri, who lamented the confusion at the end of the match. 

"I'm very sorry. As far as I know, (the expulsions) were fair, except for Henrique Dourado's. He didn't assault anyone and even got punched; he was in the locker room getting ice. He tried to separate them and ended up getting hit. The others are part of the game," he added.

Flamengo will no longer have Felipe Vizeu in its squad. The striker will go to Udinese in Italy and played his last game for the club tonight. Another player who may leave is Vinicius Junior. For Barbieri, this is part of the global football market. Asked about the matter again, he once more showed the club's sentiment, but there are factors that cannot be fought. 

"EI would very much like the young people to be able to stay, but there is the issue. consultantThe stage is set for them. leave"The desire, however, was for them to stay, but the current situation means we are sending our talent to Europe," he concluded.

Check out other excerpts from Mauricio Barbieri's press conference below. 

Best team in Brazil?

"Flamengo is the league leader. Saying they're the best in Brazil comes from the press. We have to maintain this level after the World Cup, and there's still a lot of room for improvement." 

Without Diego

"Diego's absence didn't change the team's attitude. Any team would feel Diego's absence. We would too. But within the..." circumstances"We played a very good game. We wanted the victory, but considering how the match went, the draw was satisfactory." 

Arbitration

"It's difficult to comment on the refereeing. He's a human being and is subject to errors. We didn't seek out the incident of aggression, but we were attacked, and I think it's regrettable that it happened this way and it harms the spectacle."