Fluminense secured a spot in the Copa do Brasil round of 16 with a match that started comfortably but ended with some risk. One reason for the late concern was the penalty missed by John Kennedy when the team was leading 2-0. Operário soon pulled one back, and Fluminense faced heavy pressure in the final minutes.
The penalty missed by Kennedy was the second awarded to Fluminense in the game. The first was taken and converted by Savarino. After the match, Zubeldía explained the change in taker.
“We always have two takers. We designate one for penalties, in this case Savarino, and a second, which is John Kennedy. Since we had two penalties, and Savarino didn’t want to take again. Some coaches have one taker, I have two. It’s planned. We could take a third. We ended up suffering, we had chances. In the end we advanced, which was the priority. A match where we played very well for 70 or 80 minutes, we could have made it 3-0. But we ended up suffering,” Zubeldía stated.
The victory broke a four-game winless streak for Fluminense, but fans were still unhappy with the performance. After the game, players heard boos from the stands.
Besides the lack of goals, defensive issues resurfaced. The most glaring was Jemmes’ mistake on Operário’s goal. The defender was in position to cut out a cross but let the ball through, allowing Felipe Augusto to score.
“Some goals are avoidable. I didn’t speak to Jemmes about what happened on the cross (for Operário’s goal). It seemed he had everything to clear it, I don’t know what happened(…) Statistically we are conceding goals, but not always because of dominance (by the opponent), sometimes due to specific incidents. I can’t tell you why. It could be insecurity because we weren’t winning, the moment of the year. It could be bad luck. It’s something we have to improve. We have the ability to get better,” he considered.
Fluminense returns to action next Saturday against São Paulo at 7 p.m. in the Brasileirão. The match will mark the introduction of striker Hulk, who will join the team in the second half of the year.
See other responses from the coach:
Unnecessary Suffering
“When we took the lead, the team always sought more, created goal-scoring opportunities, and showed very good play at times. Sometimes we lost the ball too easily by trying to speed up the game and create chances. In that eagerness to score, we were more rushed than normal. The team was direct. The second goal was a beauty. The first came from pressure. When we had the chance to kill the game, those accidents happened on penalties. They are isolated incidents. They are cup matches, they get complicated. The opponent can be in a good or bad moment, but they are cup ties. I take the performance and adjust those defensive details. Once again, we didn’t deserve to suffer to seal qualification. We are at this point in the calendar and we depend on ourselves. We will always depend on ourselves to improve this.”
Center-Backs in the Squad
“We have three center-backs who can be starters since January: Freytes, Ignácio, and Jemmes, then Millán arrived. There’s also Igor (Rabello) with far fewer minutes. There are three center-backs whom, based on my experience in the Brasileirão, I will always make my decision according to what the game demands.”
Booing for Canobbio and Mental Preparation for Criticism
“Both Canobbio and Serna are important players for the team. Canobbio has been playing more due to his characteristics, and Serna, since the day I arrived, has been a very good player for the team and is an excellent professional. He is a very polite, hardworking, humble person, and everything he has achieved, because he came from a career of great effort, is his merit. He was a starter for a while and now he’s on the bench, and he handles it well. I have no doubt he is important for Fluminense. With all due respect, if they criticize one or another, we are used to it. We have to stay strong as a group. We are focused. We are professionals, so we train everything, the mental part is always trained. Professionals don’t fall from the sky, so they have bad moments. We have no excuses, we always want to win at Maracanã.”
Can Martinelli Play Against Bolívar?
“Let’s see how his recovery continues. We have a game on Saturday and we’ll make a decision based on the medical department.”
Match Against Bolívar
“The idea is to take it game by game. We have the expectation of scoring three goals, we have the resources for that. We go with faith to beat Bolívar. It seems difficult to win by three goals, but it’s possible. We have to first think about winning, then the goals. Now we think about São Paulo.”
Improved Performance with Lucho Acosta’s Return
“Lucho was and is important and will be important for the team. I always say that. When I arrived here, the first thing I did was put Lucho as an attacking midfielder. The team had three defensive midfielders and I put him as a midfielder. The field is sovereign. He is an important piece, the others are also important. He is creativity, shots, chance creation. He is in a good moment and we have to take advantage.”
Alisson
“Everyone is being (booed). If we talk about each one they criticize. What do you want me to answer? What’s the question? It’s a small sample. When I arrived it was the same. I called one, he was criticized. I called another, also. It’s moments. What I have no doubt is that Alisson is a great player. Very good, like everyone here. But we have to get through the moment. If they don’t remember how the situation was for 70% of the squad in relation to the fans. And many of them managed to reverse the situation. We have to work.”
Individual Errors in Goals Conceded. Criterion for Choosing Freytes’ Partner?
“Some goals are avoidable. I didn’t speak to Jemmes about what happened on the cross (for Operário’s goal). It seemed he had everything to clear it, I don’t know what happened. We have three center-backs who can be starters since