November 11 – On Sunday, manager Filipe Luis’s Flamengo side claimed the Brazilian Cup with a 4-1 aggregate victory against Atlético Mineiro. It was a final that descended into chaos after the final whistle as Mineiro fans fought with security.
It took Luis, appointed in October to succeed former Brazil manager Tite, less than nine matches to win his first silverware and the club’s fifth Copa do Brasil.
After winning the first leg at the Maracanã 3-1, Flamengo were in the driving seat and consolidated their advantage with a 1-0 win and a late goal from Gonzalo Plata in Belo Horizonte. The hosts had Renzo Saravia sent off in injury time during the second half.
Luis had nothing but praise for his victorious side, calling Flamengo ‘a machine’. He said: “It’s a team that is a machine. The best squad in South America. A squad that can compete with some teams in Europe. A group that has no vanity, a group that has no ego. The guys who came off the bench were the ones who improved the team, who made the difference. And you can only make a championship team with a highly qualified squad. And that’s not even taking into account all the absences we have.”
After the final whistle, Atletico Mineiro supporters invaded the pitch and fights broke out between the home fans and security forces in the stands.
Brazil’s sports tribunal (STJD) will launch a complaint and the Mineiro club may be stripped of hosting matches for up to ten games.
As the winning finalists, Flamengo will bank 73,5 million reais (€11.90 million) in prize money, with the Rio club earning 92 million reais (€14,90 million) in total from this season’s Brazilian Cup campaign. Next year, Flamengo will play the Super Cup in Belem against the winner of the Brazilian league.
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