Coach Zé Ricardo spoke to reporters after the 2-0 victory over Santos on Sunday afternoon at Maracanã. The coach was full of praise for his players, board of directors, and coaching staff on the day the team secured a direct spot in the 2017 Copa Libertadores and also thanked the red-and-black fans for their support.

Check the interview in full:

We faced a great team today, perhaps the one with the best playing style, without taking anything away from Palmeiras, who had an impeccable campaign and deserved the championship. Santos has fast players and good finishers, but we managed to press and score. After the start, we lowered our line, and with the heat and at this point in the season, we took a calculated risk. The strategy worked, and we ended up with a victory at Maracanã. I'm very grateful to the fans for their support throughout, even while Santos pressed. I think it was a gift for them too.

He's a very discreet, exemplary player, and he and the entire team truly put in a performance worthy of applause. The players gave incredibly hard work, and we achieved our second goal of the year, which was direct qualification for the Copa Libertadores. We created a great atmosphere in a different year. We missed many training sessions and rest periods due to all the traveling, but we deserved to earn this spot. Not only Márcio, but all the athletes and the staff speak for themselves. We'll aim for second place with a strong performance in Curitiba.

There's no pulling his ear. Diego is extremely experienced and dedicated and let his joy out. He knows he risked a card. I don't argue with the law. If he was supposed to get a card, then get a card. But he let all his joy out after a tough week following the draw. The game planning was excellently managed by Dudu Bressane, our analyst, who gave us a wealth of information on the opponent. 

We set goals for the competition, and of course, the first and always most important was the title. We fought until the end, but Palmeiras' excellent campaign prevailed. The second goal was to qualify for the Libertadores. We're very happy to have repaid the trust of the management and the players in the coaching staff. I hope we beat Atlético-PR, but we know they're the better home team, and the game will be very difficult, especially considering the adaptation to the field. We'll have another intense week of training to put in a good performance there. Second place, if it comes, will be a great honor for us.

I have no complaints about my team, either individually or collectively. Everyone pushed themselves intensely during the game, and during the timeouts, we made important adjustments that paid off. I congratulate our entire team, from Alex (Muralha) to Fernandinho, who was very excited before coming on. Today, Flamengo secures a spot in the Libertadores and is going strong. The fans can come because they'll see a fierce team, and from preparation to the start of the championship, we'll improve what we have to improve.

What we can do to simulate this is to use the artificial turf field at the training center and work with a wetter pitch to give the ball more speed. But overall, it'll take a while to get used to it. Regardless, Atlético-PR is very difficult to beat in Curitiba, and always has been. Santos could take that second place spot away from us. We'll definitely put in a great performance.