Expert criticizes refereeing and VAR for controversial play in Flamengo’s loss to Cruzeiro
The performance of the referees and the VAR in the match between Cruzeiro and Flamengo, which ended with a 2-1 victory for the Belo Horizonte team, continues to draw reactions. A specific incident, where midfielder Lucas Romero elbowed Lucas Paquetá without facing any punishment, caused strong dissatisfaction among the Flamengo fans and criticism from experts.
Error in play analysis
Refereeing expert Paulo Caravina was emphatic in his analysis of the play that occurred in the 20th minute of the second half. He pointed out that Romero hit Paquetá outside the play for the ball. Caravina stressed that, although the on-field referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima might have missed the incident due to his distance from the action, the VAR, overseen by Gilberto Rodrigues Castro Junior, should not have deemed the scene as normal. The expert detailed the play:
I noticed that after Paquetá lost the ball, Romero looked at Paquetá and intentionally slowed his movement to prevent the Flamengo midfielder from advancing, slightly raising his foot. Paquetá then raised his arm and somewhat approached to bump the Cruzeiro midfielder. When Romero felt Paquetá touch him, he raised his arm to strike Paquetá. In other words, there was a clear trigger, from bottom to top, to hit his opponent, and he connected with his elbow near the Flamengo player’s chin.
The expert reiterated that Romero‘s action, which struck Paquetá with his elbow to the chin area, should have resulted in an expulsion, but neither the on-field referee nor the VAR took such action.
Match progression and Flamengo’s next steps
Despite dominating the first half and opening the scoring through Pedro, Flamengo failed to maintain their rhythm in the second half. Cruzeiro fought back to secure the win with goals from Arroyo and Matheus Pereira, sealing the defeat for the Rio club.
With this result, Flamengo lost the opportunity to improve their position in the Brazilian Serie A standings. The team will now have a week-long break without games due to the Copa do Brasil. Their next commitment will be on Sunday (30th), when Leonardo Jardim‘s squad faces Botafogo at the Maracanã, in a match counting towards the 25th round of the national competition.
The M360 team follows all the details of Flamengo‘s 2026 season, providing exclusive reports, analyses, and information about the club.
