After winning the Copa Libertadores, Flamengo entered a cone of shadow from which it has not been able to leave. And this Thursday one of the worst embarrassments of recent years happened, this time, in the Brazil Cup.
The most popular club in that country fired Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira on Tuesday, two days after losing the final of the Carioca tournament -in the state of Rio de Janeiro- with his archrival Fluminense, in the last setback of a very weak start to the season.
“The board of directors thanks him and wishes him luck in his career,” said ‘Mengão’ on his Twitter account, who on Sunday will debut in the Brasileirao -Brazil’s national championship- against Coritiba at the Maracana stadium in Rio. Pereira, 54, completed just four months at the helm of the current Copa Libertadores champion: it was made official in December and landed in Rio at the beginning of January.
When firing him, the cariocas must pay him 15 million reais (about 2.9 million dollars), corresponding to the remaining months of his contract, according to the Globo Esporte portal.
The Portuguese failed to mesh the pieces that make up one of the best rosters in America, in which the Brazilian internationals Everton Ribeiro, Pedro and “Gabigol” stand out, as well as the Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta and the Chilean Arturo Vidal.
Under his command, the red-and-blacks went blank in four titles: the Brazilian Super Cup against Palmeiras in January, the Club World Cup (eliminated in the semifinals by Saudi side Al Hilal) and the South American Cup Winners’ Cup against Independiente del Valle (ECU). ) in February. The last loss was a crushing 4-1 (4-3 on aggregate) against Fluminense, their backyard rival, on Sunday in the second leg of the Carioca final.
The shameful defeat of Flamengo in the Brazil Cup
If something was missing to accentuate Flamengo’s terrible football moment, this Thursday they suffered a painful defeat in the Brazil Cup. They lost 2-0 against Maringá, a team that plays in the fourth division of that country and that barely has 12 years of history.
Pure history in the Brazil Cup: Maringá, a team from the Fourth Division, beat Flamengo 2-0 in the first leg of the round of 16. It was founded in 2010. It is barely 12 years old. Total madness. The return will be on 26/4.pic.twitter.com/zovr4fdhis
— VarskySports (@VarskySports) April 14, 2023
Flamengo, who entered the third round of the tournament directly, faced a team that had to eliminate two rivals, Sampaio Correa and Marcilio Dias, to access that instance.
The modest team from Paraná beat Flamengo 2-0, with goals from Matheus Blanqui and Serginho, and left the Libertadores champion on the ropes, who, however, has the option of reversing that score in the second leg, on April 26 at the Maracana.
SPORTS
with AFP
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