Flamengo beat Amazonas 1-0 in the first leg of the third round of the Brazilian Cup, although that victory left ambivalent feelings. One reason to celebrate was the return of Gabigol, after temporarily lifting his suspension for alleged manipulation of an anti-doping procedure.
The forward entered in the 18th minute of the second half in place of Nicolás de la Cruz and had very little participation. This poor return led coach Tite to admit that it was a “mistake” to give him so many minutes on the field after 36 days of absence.
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“I was wrong to give him so much playing time. He was away for a long time and I made it obvious. But the necessity of the game led to this. I thanked him for his willingness. It was my mistake and I recognize it here,” said the former Brazil coach in the press conference after the duel.
Beyond this individual performance, Fla took the narrow victory at the Maracaná thanks to Pedro’s goal in the 20th minute. The second leg will be played at the Amazonas stadium on May 22.
PEDRO, PEDRO, PEDRO! ⚽️🥅#VamosFlamengo #FLAxAMA pic.twitter.com/HhkxB5SpsL
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) May 2, 2024
Gabigol: “It was a difficult period”
At the end of the match, Gabriel Barbosa also spoke about his feelings about everything that happened this time: “It was a difficult period, but I had the help of my family, my friends, Flamengo too, the fans who were incredible with me. The evidence is there, the facts are there, and everything will be resolved, as it has been. Missing this period was bad, but now we have to look forward.”
The complaint against the attacker indicates that on April 8 of last year he failed to comply with the schedule and disobeyed the instructions of a surprise anti-doping test before the final of the Carioca Championship with Fluminense. The footballer himself and Flamengo denied the accusations and appealed the decision made by the Sports Anti-Doping Court of Justice.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
The first three episodes are available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for the upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
