The Betano Cup of Brazil is over for Fluminense. In the second leg of the round of 16, Tricolor took too long to react and ended up 2-2 with Juventude, this Wednesday, at Maracanã. After the opponent opened 2-0 with Lucas Barbosa and Marcelinho, Kauã Elias and Keno equalized in the end, but the team from Caxias do Sul advances with 5-4 on aggregate.
What was already bad after the defeat in the first leg got even worse when Fluminense conceded a goal to Juventude in the first few minutes. In a corner kick, Lucas Barbosa rose between Samuel Xavier and Thiago Silva to head the ball past Fábio, leaving Fábio with no chance. Juventude saw their aggregate lead reach 4-2 and took advantage to defend and stall.
The complicated situation made the tricolor team nervous. The fans, who showed up in good numbers, still tried to push. The tense atmosphere, however, was evident. On the field, something productive only came out when the ball passed through the feet of Ganso or Arias. The others made too many mistakes. Even though Fluminense had a greater offensive presence, it was the team from Rio Grande do Sul who came close to scoring. Fábio even made a brilliant save from a shot by Edson Carioca.
In an attempt to change the game’s outlook, Mano Menezes took off two players who were playing poorly during the break: Martinelli and Serna. Lima and Keno came on, respectively. The team actually improved. Diogo Barbosa was also not doing well, being replaced by Marcelo in the 11th minute. Unbelievably, the left-back, a world football star, stayed on the field for less than five minutes. He kicked a ball, felt an injury and left off. Impressive.
In the final minutes, Flu tried to pick up the pace by smothering the ball and with little organization. Except for a good save by Gabriel on a free kick by Ganso, however, nothing else happened. The impression was that they could play for another two hours and the tricolor team would be unable to overcome Juventude’s block. And it could get worse. When Thiago Santos decided to hand over the gold, the visiting team took advantage to close the coffin. Marcelinho received the ball unmarked and shot Fábio. The defender’s paçocada was ridiculous. A disgrace!
When the cow was completely stuck in the swamp, Fluminense decided to show signs of a reaction that they had not managed during almost the entire match. Ganso, one of the few to survive on the team alongside Jhon Arias, found a beautiful pass to Keno, who crossed for a goal with a backheel by Kauã Elias. Then, Keno shot from outside the area and counted on the deflection of the marker to cover the goalkeeper. The equalizer came too late.
As the Copa do Brasil is now in the hands of Fluminense, the focus is now on the inglorious fight against relegation in the Brazilian league. On Saturday, there is a derby against Vasco, at Engenhão.
Fluminense played with: Fábio, Samuel Xavier (John Kennedy, 31′ of the 2nd half), Thiago Silva, Thiago Santos and Diogo Barbosa (Marcelo, 11′ of the 2nd half (Esquerdinha, 15′ of the 2nd half)); André, Martinelli (Lima, half-time) and Ganso; Jhon Arias, Kevin Serna (Keno, half-time) and Kauã Elias.
2024-08-08 02:32:37
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