Léo Pereira acknowledges that the bitter draw against São Paulo at the Maracanã hinders Flamengo’s pursuit of the top spot in the Brazilian Serie A.
The return to the Maracanã, which was supposed to be a celebration for the Rubro-Negro faithful with over 70,000 people in the stands, ended with a taste of frustration. Flamengo failed to overcome São Paulo, settling for a 1-1 draw—a result that stalls the team’s momentum in the standings during the 20th round of the Brazilian Serie A.
As the scorer of the only goal for the Mais Querido in the match, defender Léo Pereira did not hide his disappointment with the final score. The player admitted that, given the need to close the gap on the leaders, the home stumble proves costly to the club’s objectives for the season.
A step back in the standings
Despite finding the back of the net and celebrating his return to the pitch at the Rio stadium, the defender was realistic about the importance of the points left behind. For the athlete, the direct clash required more efficiency in front of the opposing goal.
It certainly hinders our ambitions in the competition. From my point of view, we actually played better. In the first half, I believe they were better at times, but it definitely hurts our goals. After all, those are two points we let slip by that would have brought us closer to the leader. But, we have to keep working.
Looking ahead
Even with the result falling short of expectations, the Rubro-Negro number 4 maintains the mindset of someone who believes in a turnaround in the national championship. In his analysis, the squad knows the road is long and that every round will be decisive for the team’s title aspirations.
There is a lot of the championship left. We know we can catch the leader, of course not depending only on ourselves. I am happy for the goal, happy to return to the Maracanã.
Regarding the controversies surrounding the officiating and potential penalties, Léo Pereira preferred not to stir up debate, classifying the play as a fast-paced moment that depends on the refereeing team’s interpretation. Now, the squad is quickly turning the page. The team’s full focus is on the next challenge: the duel against Internacional, scheduled for Wednesday (29) at the Beira-Rio stadium, for the 21st round of the tournament.
