2010 Brazilian State Championships **SPOILERS**

[PHiN]

Well, the pre-sea... I mean, the State Championships are about to start all over the country!
It feels like it was only yesterday when the Brasileirão ended, but we're right back on track for a new year.

And we're off to a great start here in my neck of the woods. A number of stadiums here in SP have been shut down until further notice and the Paulista Federation felt like 2 days before the championship's opening game would be the best time to announce it.
At least Palmeiras is playing their first game at home, so no surprises in terms of scheduling.

The big news for this year's Paulistão is the arrival of Roberto Carlos, who will play for Corinthians this season. I guess in the year of their 100th anniversary they are looking for all players 100 or older :D [/cheapshot]

As usual, I don't really care if Palmeiras wins it or not. They should use these games to try and get some of their chemistry back and test a few youngsters for the upcoming League and Cup.

[PHiN]

Well, 1st round of the Paulistão is over. Unfortunately I couldn't watch any of the games, so I can't make any proper comments. But Corinthians and SP weren't off to such good starts with a tie and a loss respectively. Palmeiras and Santos, on the other hand, both had easy, blowout wins. 5-1 and 4-0.

Apparently Diego Souza played well.

[PHiN]

Hello? Is this thing on? *taps mic* :P

Palmeiras tied 2-2 yesterday against Barueri.. Which has actually moved from the city of Barueri to Presidente Prudente, so they'll change their name sooner or later.

But Palmeiras got screwed over by the ref.. Barueri had a PK, the guy missed and hit the post.. On the rebound, a Barueri player passed the ball to the original PK taker, who eventually scored.
But he was so blatantly offsides that it's amazing how it counted. I mean, the guy that takes the PK is always A LOT ahead of everyone else on the play, it's so obvious that if someone passes him the ball on the rebound, he'll be inevitably offside. Unless the defenders are incredibly fast or jumped the gun at the box.

The president of the Ref's association said the ref will probably ended up being suspended. But whatever.

Palmeiras desperately needs more strikers. They only have Robert, who's not exactly great. The only sub is a kid that has never really cut it. They should've kept either Ortigoza or Obina, because this is not gonna be enough for a season. There's got to be something in the works to bring more people.

[Zicao]

Hello? Is this thing on? *taps mic* :P

hehe, sorry :o

Well my friend, Vagner Love played his first game for Flamengo...and he played like a boss! If this was not a flash in the pan, when Adriano full recuperates from his injury and Pet moves back into the starting line up, dear I say, Flamengo are going to kill people, they are going to score goals at will. I'm loving this (too bad it's only for a few more months). I'm loving that Flamengo has gone from a middle of the road team, to Brasilian Champions, to a team with the roster to win the Libertadores. LOVING IT!

Highlights:
v/GoOTdh5FsIQ

[PHiN]

Do you know what is Adriano's contract situation? Does it end in the middle or the end of the year?


It's funny how momentum can be such a huge part of the game in football.
Palmeiras playing at home, winning 2-1, has a player sent off.
The other team is all over us, but we get another one on a counter, 3-1. The game is as good as over at about the 80th minute mark.
Then a freak play happens, Armero tries to clear a crossing, the ball accidentally bounces off the defender Danilo's head and it gets in, an own goal.
The other team wakes up and eventually ties the game. Amazing...


On somewhat related news, Palmeiras lost to Santos on PKs for the U18 Copa Sao Paulo semifinals yesterday. Real tough break.
But at least it seems like Palmeiras has a few very decent youngsters coming to the main squad. Specially both Wingbacks (Gabriel Silva on the left, Luis Felipe on the right) and one of the attacking midfielders, Ramos. I'm pretty sure they'll be at least on the bench this season.

[Zicao]

Do you know what is Adriano's contract situation? Does it end in the middle or the end of the year?

From what I remember, it runs out right after the World Cup.

Vasco beat the living piss out of Botafogo, lol, 6 x 0 :eek: That was extremely surprising, I figured Botafogo were the better team, but obviously not today :p

[PHiN]

That ended up being the last straw for their coach Estevam Soares.. Sucks for him, he was doing such a fine job at Barueri last season, but ever since he moved to Botafogo, it's been pretty rough.

Speaking of coaches, Goiás has signed JJorginho, who was working as Muricy's assistant. Bad move for Palmeiras, they should've kept him. He would be the logical choice to take over after Palmeiras gets knocked out in the QFs of the Copa do Brasil.

[PHiN]

Big game this weekend, Palmeiras vs Corinthians. Ronaldo is injured and won't play.. Diego Souza was injured and hasn't been confirmed yet either.

The game will be played at Pacaembu, for the first time in over 10 years. And all Palmeiras-Corinthians games will be played there from now on.
I'm not quite sure about this. I don't care how much the boards of both teams say that the Pacaembu is a neutral field, but it's not. It's Corinthians' home.
Sure, when the Brasileirao comes and Palmeiras is the home team, we'll get the bigger share of the tickets, but still. It's not natural.

This pretty much shows how the relationship between the 3 big clubs in SP is a bit strained. Both Palmeiras and Corinthians seem to want to cut all unnecessary ties to Sao Paulo and they'll only play at Morumbi when Sao Paulo is the home team.
And from what I've read, if this Pacaembu thing doesn't work out (ie, some major fights between the ultras break out and the police says they can't play there anymore), they'll go back to the countryside before even considering the Morumbi.


edit-
On RJ news, an old face is back in town.. Joel Santana has taken over at Botafogo. Well, Joel surely loves Rio :P

edit2-
Aw man, what the.. Palmeiras has just lost Deyvid Sacconi to Nantes. We are already running thin up front, and they keep selling players. 2.5m euros for him is a pretty good deal though, so I hope they can at least try and bring someone decent to replace him.

[PHiN]

Well, Corinthians beat Palmeiras 1-0.
They scored at around the 5th minute mark and Roberto Carlos was sent off a couple of minutes later. So basically, the entire match consisted of Corinthians parking the bus in front of the net and Palmeiras failing miserably to get a single chance.

Palmeiras has no good strikers whatsoever and with Diego Souza injured, Cleiton Xavier was overloaded and couldn't do a thing.
Blah.

edit
Apparently Sacconi's deal with Nantes didn't go as planned and he'll return to the team tomorrow. It's a shame we couldn't have used him today, it would've been something, at least..

[Zicao]

Flamengo is playing like pure garbage, it's the worse i've seen them play in months. It's 2-0 now, should really be 4-0, if they don't get their shit together, it's going to get embarrassing!

Edit: Penalty for Flamengo, seconds after Flu scored on a penalty. Adriano, 2-1!
Edit: Seconds later, 3-1, lol

[Zicao]

Oh Lord!!! Flamengo scored 2 goals in 2 minutes, Love and Kleberson, all tied up.

This is a game and a half!

Edit: VIROU!!!!, 4 x 3, Adriano!!! :), Flamengo with 10 men!
Edit: Adriano again!, 5 x 3, what a turn :) 4 unanswered goals in the second half :D

[Zicao]

It looks like Petkovic might have played his last game with Flamengo. He left the stadium at half time (after being subbed), and got into verbal arguments on his way out.

He acted like an ass, and played like garbage. As far as I am concerned, fuck him. You don't get on that way when your team is loosing.

[PHiN]

Well, apparently nothing much came of that.. He got a warning and will probably miss a game or two against some weak teams, but should be back in time for the semis.

[Zicao]

Well, apparently nothing much came of that.. He got a warning and will probably miss a game or two against some weak teams, but should be back in time for the semis.

yeah, when you got the President of the club coming out and saying that what you did was not such a big deal...nothing is going to happen. This is the same woman who when she got elected in December said that Adriano needs to improve his behavior. Seriously? I never heard of Adriano leaving at half time before the dope testing people are announced, never heard of Adriano getting into verbal arguments with Directors. This whole thing is a joke, and the "sentence" could have been much worse. You should never allow this kind of behavior to go unchecked.

[Zicao]

wow, I figured this game against Olaria was going to be a trap game, especially after the great second half performance on Sunday....and they are getting trapped.
loosing 3 x 2 right now, and down to 10 men again.

Edit: Well at least they manage to tie it up, Love x 2, Adriano x 1

[hypwumbh]

wow, I figured this game against Olaria was going to be a trap game, especially after the great second half performance on Sunday....and they are getting trapped.
loosing 3 x 2 right now, and down to 10 men again.
Who, Flamengo? FML!

[Zicao]

Who, Flamengo? FML!

What are you on about? Troll. :p

[hypwumbh]

What are you on about? Troll. :p
I had a bet on them. :( It finished 3-3. :mad:

[Zicao]

I had a bet on them. :( It finished 3-3. :mad:

That was a terrible idea. First they are coming off a historic comeback in their previous game, then you had the whole blow up with Pet, you also have their main defensive mid fielder out for this game...They were due for a let down, i'm actually very happy with the draw.

Next time you are going to drop money on Flamengo, contact me first ;)

I think that Adriano said it best after the game, "We did not pay enough attention, in all honesty, we deserved to lose"

[hypwumbh]

Yo, tell me about Vasco Da Gama's, Fluminense's, and Colo Colo's, games tonight. :)

[Zicao]

Yo, tell me about Vasco Da Gama's, Fluminense's, and Colo Colo's, games tonight. :)

Vasco should beat Resende handily, Fluminense should win against Boavista, but it will be a close game, 1 or 2 goal difference. It all depends on if Flu's players have recovered from the meltdown against Flamengo. I don't follow Chilean football, so I can't help you with Colo Colo.

[hypwumbh]

Don't worry, I've already gone ahead! :cool:

Come on Colo-Colo. :o

[Zicao]

Come on Colo-Colo. :o

Wrong thread star :eek:

[hypwumbh]

Wrong thread star :eek:
Spread love, not hate Zicao. Brazilian, Chilean, Mexican, Argentinian, what difference does it make? God loves all, we all are His children. Come on Colo-Colo! :cool:

[Zicao]

Vasco should beat Resende handily,
Well, they only won 1-0, but Dodo missed a penalty, and two of their best players were late scratches, which were not announced at the time when I posted.

Fluminense should win against Boavista, but it will be a close game, 1 or 2 goal difference.
3 x 1, 2 goal difference :D

[Zicao]

Well this thread has been on the down low for awhile now, I guess it's because Flamengo wasn't playing and Palmeiras was playing bad :p.

...but anyway, today is the semi final of the Taça Guanabara between Flamengo and Botafogo, the winner playing Vasco in the final on Sunday. Should be a great game, kickoff is 6:50PM eastern US time.

Here are the projected Line ups:
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/7227/41332226.jpg

[Zicao]

oh well, 2 x 1 Botafogo, good game, Flamengo's last touches let them down. They should have done way better with the amount of chances they had.

Phin, wtf happened to your team? They got embarrassed.

[PHiN]

Yup, I've been slacking off on the posting lately, haha. I was out of town since Saturday, just got back yesterday.

I missed Palmeiras' game today once again, I was at a friend's house with no PPV packages, so I settled for some Winter Olympics instead of watching freaking Corinthians once again. Seems like every TV game is a Corinthians game.

I'll give Muricy one thing.. This team has no decent strikers. I don't even mean good ones, I mean even decent. They all suck. Robert, Lenny, Daniel? These are all 3rd string strikers at best.

But other than that, the team is simply poorly coached. Ever since he took over halfway through the Brasileirao, they've played like crap.
A midfield of Pierre, [someone], Cleiton Xavier and Diego Souza is, in theory, better than 90% of all other teams'. Yet they can't produce anything.
Our CBs are not terrible, but their positioning is. Specially on set pieces and crossings in general, it's like watching headless chickens running around. It's impossible for Marcos to bail them out every time.

I'm already looking forward to him getting sacked ASAP.

[Zicao]

I'm already looking forward to him getting sacked ASAP.

Is this afternoon soon enough? :p

It was actually faster than I thought, I figured he would last at least another game, oh well, I thought it was funny when he said last week "I'm fucking great", I guess it didn't quite workout.

[PHiN]

Well, better today than tomorrow.
They should've fired him at the end of last season, so that whoever took over would be able to get a full preseason with the team. Now the guy is gonna be under a lot more pressure from the board and the fans.
And now that Jorginho has officially moved on to Goias, they're gonna have to sign someone completely new. Latest rumours put Autuori as the front-runner for the job.

I've seen a lot of criticism over this move from the press, for some reason. I must've said this before here, but I think that much like players, coaches also go through good and bad phases in their careers. And when Palmeiras signed him, he was definitely on a slump.
I'm sure he'll bounce back eventually, but I doubt it'll be anytime too soon and I was sure it wouldn't be with us.

[PHiN]

Palmeiras has signed Antonio Carlos as their new coach. He played for us as a CB for quite some time in the 90's, so he's somewhat familiar with the club. He's been a coach for less than a year, so it's a bit of a gamble as well, but I suppose at least he's cheap. Enough with all the expensive, useless coaches.
He'll already be coaching the team in the derby against Sao Paulo tomorrow.

There was one thing he said that really made me happy, though. He said he'll stop using Diego Souza as a forward and will put him back as a midfielder, which is where he plays best. Finally someone else that sees it, because every Palmeiras fan knows that already.

We'll see how that goes.

edit-
Haha, just saw some pictures of one of our ultras in front of the training ground gates chanting "Volta, Muricy".
What the? Are these guys blind? Not only has the team played like crap ever since he took over, even the results speak against him.
34 games. 13 wins, 11 ties, 10 losses. That's pitiful.

I understand their anger about Antonio Carlos, to be honest I had completely forgotten about the racism accusations a few years ago and it certainly makes me a bit unsure as well.. But to think that letting Muricy go is a mistake, I don't get it.

[PHiN]

What do you know, Palmeiras beat SP 2-0. Everyone trying hard to impress the new coach.

But I don't know, I think it was a very boring game. In fact, all Palmeiras-SP games recently have been very uninteresting. It seems like both teams are extra cautious, trying really hard not to lose instead of trying to win. The last exciting matchup I remember from these clubs was the state semifinals in 2008.

Palmeiras had the most pressure and control throughout the entire match, but they only turned that into goals after SP got a player sent off. And still, both goals came from crossings.
But I suppose that's already an improvement, because Palmeiras spent nearly the entire game against Corinthians with an extra man and failed to score.

Palmeiras plays Flamengo (from Piauí :p) this Thursday, should be an easy one. It's certainly going to boost morale and since fans have a very short memory, all the people asking for Muricy back will be chanting Antonio Carlos' name by Friday.

[PHiN]

I don't get it, why are they still starting games at 5pm / 7.30pm on weekends if the Daylight Saving Time is already over?
I understand them doing it during the DST period because it was too hot to play games under the 'actual' 3pm sun, but now the clocks are back to normal, so have the games start at their usual 4pm/6.30pm schedule.

Palmeiras has confirmed the signing of former Zaragoza striker Ewerthon. It'll probably take a week or two before he's match fit to start games, so we'll see how that goes.

[sportsmen]

Palmeiras has confirmed the signing of former Zaragoza striker Ewerthon. It'll probably take a week or two before he's match fit to start games, so we'll see how that goes.
He's also a former Dortmund striker ;). I'm not sure if I'll be watching Brazilian football before the start of the national championship, so please keep me updated on his progress, will you?

[PHiN]

Sure thing. From what I've read, they expect him to debut on March 14th against Santos.. The way Santos is playing, talk about being thrown to the lions, haha.

Palmeiras lost today 0-1 to Rio Claro, one of the teams in the relegation zone. I must say I missed the whole first half due to the Winter Olympics and when I decided to start watching, it looked more like a water polo match than football. Raining a lot and the pitch was awful, the players could barely complete any passes. It's hard to make anything out of this game, but the conditions were the same for both clubs and it sucks to drop what would probably be 3 easy points on any other given night.

[PHiN]

Well Zicao, I could use a little input :P
Palmeiras has just signed a kid from Flamengo, striker Bruno Paulo. Anything noteworthy about him?

Palmeiras is not doing all that well. They lost 1-3 to Santo André at home during the week and the crowd was very unhappy. Diego Souza was sent off and the fans booed and cursed at him. Later they cursed at president Belluzzo then spent the rest of the game cursing at the team in general and chanting Olé when Santo André passed the ball. They're a picky crowd indeed.

Marcos seemed really upset during halftime and after the game, he said very little to the reporters but hinted that he might be retiring after this season. He has a contract for another 5 years, I think, but the plan was for him to play until the end of 2011 and then take a staff role still to be determined.
I don't blame him. He deserves better.

[PHiN]

Palmeiras is truly an odd team. Just when I expected them to take a beating from Santos, they go and beat them 4-3, on the road. And all of this after being down 0-2 halfway through the 1st half.

Seemed like all the teasing and dancing by the Santos players after their goals really got to Palmeiras' players. Robert scored two quick goals late in the 1st half and you could tell how annoyed they were in their own celebration. Armero "dancing" was priceless :D

v/hJRgpVWeTAE

Anyway, they came out stronger in the 2nd half and scored the 3rd to turn it around. Santos seemed completely lost for a while but eventually got themselves back into the game and it was a matter of time before they could tie against a Palmeiras team that suddenly became completely defensive.
After the tie, Neymar was sent off for a bad tackle over Pierre and Palmeiras felt they had the chance to win. Robert finished his hat-trick with a nice shot from outside the box after Lincoln forced a turnover in Santos' defensive zone.

All in all, a pretty good game, with plenty of goals and momentum changes.

Ewerthon had his debut today and was fairly quiet. He had one good chance early in the 2nd half but just missed the shot, real close. He was substituted after about the 60th minute mark. Hopefully he can get fit soon to play a full match.

[thisisoverlord!]

This game will be up soon :)

[Zicao]

Well Zicao, I could use a little input :P
Palmeiras has just signed a kid from Flamengo, striker Bruno Paulo. Anything noteworthy about him?

He only played 2 or 3 games with the main team...but from what I saw, he has a very bright future, then all of a sudden some garbage between him and the directors about a contract extension, and bam, didn't play for about 6 months. From the little that he played, and from what I saw, I think he will be good.

Great win for Palmeiras today.

Great win for Flamengo as well, Bruno is a penalty monster, never seen a goal keeper save as many as him.

[PHiN]

Interesting to know, then. Even with Ewerthon signed, we could certainly use more options up front.

I also forgot to mention here, Palmeiras signed RB Vitor, from Goiás. He's been considered one of the best around here for a while now, so it's a pretty good signing. Shame he won't be available for the state champion and the Copa do Brasil, as he already played for Goias in both.

As part of this deal, Palmeiras sent Deyvid Sacconi, Wendel and Daniel Lovinho to Goias. Willian has also moved there, but on a different deal.
Sacconi had a pretty good start of the season, but ever since his deal of moving to France fell through, he lost focus. So we're not missing much. Lovinho and Willian were barely playing anyway.
Wendel was a decent backup for either RB or LB and could even play as DM if needed. But he wasn't exactly great in any of those positions, so I think we've got it covered.

The latest rumours still involving Palmeiras/Goiás are that Fernandão might be close to moving here. If that happened, it would be great indeed.

[PHiN]

Sacconi had his debut today and scored twice as Goias beat some random team 3-2. Son of a.. :p

Palmeiras still with their inconsistency issues.. They beat Santos in a great performance and then lose 2-0 to Ponte Preta, at home. Geez.
Today Marcos left in the middle of practice because he apparently wasn't very happy with the lack of dedication by his teammates.

[jehuty]

9x1, just one thing to say: next, please.

[Socrates]

9x1, just one thing to say: next, please.

Damn straight. 4x2 over Botafogo-SP on Thursday as well. Now automatically into the semis. Bar that Palmeiras loss and the earlier loss it's been smooth coasting. Futebol de moleque is back.

I fully expect Monte Azul to get another drubbing.

[PHiN]

Some new faces here, welcome! :D

Santos already guaranteed in the Semis, Santo Andre should lock up 2nd place soon and I imagine Sao Paulo is pretty much set as well, but that 4th spot is completely up for grabs. If Palmeiras weren't so incompetent, they could be fighting for it as well.

Corinthians plays Sao Paulo tomorrow, should be a good game.

[Dogme]

Corinthians plays Sao Paulo tomorrow, should be a good game.

The match is on at the moment. Not too much happened yet, but hopefully it'll get more interesting. If Corinthians can win, then they have two easy matches coming up and maybe they can make the play offs :)

*Edit* Fucking hell. Corinthians just hit the woodwork twice in the space of 5 seconds, then the goalkeeper had to pull off a good save. Looking good :D

[Dogme]

Elias scores for Corinthians :D !!!!!!!!!!!!! Might be back on here after the match.

*Edit* Well it's 3-1 to Corinthians now! Oh and Washington and Dentinho were sent off just before half time. Corinthians should get the three points.

[Dogme]

Corinthians won 4-3 :eek: I'd recommend this match to anybody!

[Socrates]

I missed that game. Hopefully I can catch it later. We're currently 1 up against Monte Azul. Goal from Marquinhos. He has become a very important player.

[Dogme]

I missed that game. Hopefully I can catch it later. We're currently 1 up against Monte Azul. Goal from Marquinhos. He has become a very important player.

I was watching the Santos game until the link went dead. 3-0 last time i saw, and that's without Robinho playing!

[PHiN]

Please, Corinthians got extremely lucky there with that last goal.. The game was set for a tie :p

Prudente beat Portuguesa on the road, jumped to 3rd place.. The last two spots are really unpredictable now.

Santos - 41
Sto Andre - 36
Prudente - 31
SP - 30
Corinthians - 29
Portuguesa - 28
Botafogo - 28
Sao Caetano - 27

Geez!

edit-
And oh yeah, Palmeiras sucked ass as usual. Tied at home with yet another team in the relegation zone.

[Dogme]

I can honestly say that I've never heard of Prudente. They must have some good players to be third, so have they got any that i might have heard of? Any internationals?

[PHiN]

Well, do you remember Gremio Barueri, from last year's Brasileirão? They were expected to be relegated but had a pretty solid season and finished in the middle of the pack.

They're that same team, but they moved to a different city and changed names.
But yeah, I don't suppose they have any big names indeed and it's still a bit surprising to see them so near the top, much like Santo Andre.

[Zicao]

Maybe they are in 3rd place because the Paulista kind of sucks! :p

The Carioca is the best state league in Brasil...and Flamengo just keeps on wining :D

btw, RIP Armando Nogueira, a truly great journalist.

‘A bola é uma flor que nasce nos pés de Zico, com cheiro de gol’-Armando Nogueira (The ball is a flower that is born on Zico's feet, with the smell of a goal), beautiful.

[Zicao]

Saw this today, thought it was pretty cool:

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/foto/0,,39082239-EX,00.jpg

20 years ago, Leo Moura came onto the pitch with Zico, recently Leo Moura came onto the pitch with Zico's grandson Felipe.

[PHiN]

True, RIP Armando Nogueira indeed.. One of the greatest journalists we've ever had and a true football fan. Always had the perfect words to express what everyone felt but couldn't quite explain.


And puh-lease! All state championships suck, but the Paulista is at least somewhat competitive :p

[Dogme]

Corinthians got two late goals, to win 2-0. Ronaldo was involved in the first goal and he scored the second :D Just one game left now and things are close. Corinthians are in 4th place and one point ahead of Portuguesa.

[PHiN]

Prudente is the real threat for both SP and Corinthians now though. They're back to 3rd place as they beat Bragantino on the road today.

* Santos - 44
* Santo André - 37
Prudente - 34
Sao Paulo - 33
Corinthians - 32
Portuguesa - 31


Last round matchups:
Corinthians vs Rio Claro
Santo André vs Sao Paulo
Prudente vs Sao Caetano
Portuguesa vs Ituano

I'd say that right now, Sao Paulo is the one in most trouble. Unless Santo Andre decides to rest some of their players, they have the toughest game by far. And considering chances are Corinthians will beat Rio Claro easily, they can't afford to just tie against Santo André. They need a win.

edit
Palmeiras' game was terrible as usual. They played pretty much their B squad and tied 0-0 against some random team under a lot of rain, on a terrible pitch. Pff.

[Socrates]

I would like to Portuguesa get the last spot. Would be easier to pick up the trophy.

[Zicao]

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/foto/0,,39206916-DP,00.jpg

That must have been a hell of a lot of rain over night in Rio. At least the drainage at Maracana works great.

[PHiN]

Yup, things have been rough in Rio for the past couple of days indeed.

I follow some volleyball as well (don't laugh you all :p ) and on Monday there was supposed to have a game at the Maracanazinho, but the court was completely flooded. The Rio team players were there practicing later the same day and they simply couldn't leave afterwards because all the roads around it were flooded as well. They had to spend the night in the arena.



Last round of the Paulistão tonight, everything on the line. All games supposed to start at 9:50, but you know someone is going to be a smartass and delay their start so they can know what's going on in the other games.....

[J.A.Riise]

Over 130 dead in Rio... :(

Flamengo's game in the Libertadores was re-marked for tomorrow 4pm, I'll be there.

[Socrates]

Santos, Sao Paulo, Santo Andre and Gremio Prudente in the semis.

Santos x Sao Paulo
Santo Andre x Gremio Prudente

Beat Sertaozinho 4x2 today with a mostly B side. Time to make it count where it really matters.

We can do it.

[PHiN]

Interesting semifinals scenario.. One derby and the 2 best "small" clubs battling for a spot in the final.
Not very interesting for TV though, I'm sure they were hoping for a Santos x SP/Corinthians final.

And mark my words, I'm calling it today.
Palmeiras is set on selling Diego Souza right after the WC. So, unless the new guys like Ewerthon, Lincoln and Vitor really adapt well to the team, Palmeiras will be fighting against relegation in this year's Brasileirão. No joke.

[Dogme]

So, unless the new guys like Ewerthon, Lincoln and Vitor really adapt well to the team, Palmeiras will be fighting against relegation in this year's Brasileirão. No joke.

Trying to cheer me up are you? :D I can't see Palmeiras getting relegated unless they start kicking the ball in their own net.

[Socrates]

First leg coming up in about 45 minutes. I'll take a 2x2 draw going back to the Vila Belmiro.

[Dogme]

Now that Corinthians are not in the play offs, I'd like to see Santos win the Paulista. To be honest Santos are really my team, but I've felt like I've had to support Corinthians since Ronaldo started playing for them :) It would be good to see Robinho win something in his first competition back in Brazil.

[PHiN]

You don't have to support Corinthians, man.. Just let go of that feeling, step away from the darkness and come back towards the good side.. The biggest fanbase in Brazil: The Anti-Corinthians fans :p

[Zicao]

Great win by Flamengo, to the final we go! :D

Love and Moura are trying their best to go to South Africa :cool:

[Dogme]

Thinking of going on holiday are they :D

[Socrates]

Yes! Wrapped up the 1st leg at the Morumbi. Thought we were going to choke after the 2nd Dagoberto made it 2x2. Good thing Durval came up big.

We really dominated the first half and with Marlos got sent off I thought the game was over. Credit to Sao Paulo for coming out strong. We did play right into their hands though when we became frantic and gave the ball away a lot. They got the opportunity to counter. When we started to slow the game down you could see the pendulum swinging back into our favor. Para coming on for Andre helped to settle the team.

IMO Felipe is in the top 3 goalkeepers in Brazil right now. The guy is a monster. When Hernanes started to go into Hulk mode for that spell in the 2nd half, he kept us in the game. Hernanes...what a player. Credit to Arouca, Edu, and Ganso who had good games. Neymar was bright in the 1st half but faded in the 2nd. What a pass to Andre for the 2nd goal though.

Two greats goals by Andre and Hernanes and a great game overall. Hopefully we can wrap this up at the Vila next Sunday.

[Zicao]

Thinking of going on holiday are they :D

Funny. I think Kleberson is going to lose his spot (He has already lost his spot at Flamengo), and Moura is going to get a spot (The RB position is weak on the National Team and right now he is playing like a beast). The last striker position is up to Hulk, Neymar, and Love. Love has just a good a chance as any of them. Flamengo is sending 5 (maybe 6) guys to the World Cup!

[PHiN]

Dunga is a stubborn guy, I really doubt we're gonna see any new faces in the WC, or any guys that have been called up too few times or haven't been with the team for a while. Barring any injuries to the current squad, of course.
Do you think Adriano's spot is in jeopardy? Because I think the other 3 striker positions are pretty much set with Luis Fabiano, Robinho and Nilmar.


The Santos x SP game reminded me of the Corinthians x SP game a while ago. SP down by 2 but managed a great comeback in the 2nd half, just to allow the winning goal in the last minutes. That's gotta hurt for them indeed. I thought Ceni should've had that ball on Santos' 3rd.

Santos may lose by a goal at the Vila next round and they'll still advance to the finals, so things look pretty good so far, specially with Marlos out for that game as well.

[Zicao]

Do you think Adriano's spot is in jeopardy? Because I think the other 3 striker positions are pretty much set with Luis Fabiano, Robinho and Nilmar.

It depends, if he keeps getting injured he will lose his spot. I think Dunga is going to carry 5 strikers, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, Nilmar, Adriano (if he stops getting injured), then the last spot will go to either Hulk, Neymar or Love. But he might use the last spot for Ronaldinho and only carry 4 natural strikers. If you look at it in the sense that Robinho and Luis Fabiano are the starters, then you need more than 1 other striker to complete the squad, even more since Robinho is not an out and out box man.

[cescfabregas]

It depends, if he keeps getting injured he will lose his spot. I think Dunga is going to carry 5 strikers, Robinho, Luis Fabiano, Nilmar, Adriano (if he stops getting injured), then the last spot will go to either Hulk, Neymar or Love. But he might use the last spot for Ronaldinho and only carry 4 natural strikers. If you look at it in the sense that Robinho and Luis Fabiano are the starters, then you need more than 1 other striker to complete the squad, even more since Robinho is not an out and out box man.kd o o download dos jogos?:confused:

[Zicao]

kd o o download dos jogos?:confused:

download dos jogos? :confused:


Big final in 1 1/2 hours. Really need to win, Vamos Mengão!

[Zicao]

1st Half, 1-1, the game is not the greatest, fairly disorganized for both teams.

Fuck, Adriano missed a penalty, and Flamengo ends up losing 2-1. Fucking ridiculous.

[Socrates]

On to the final! Now to see who we face.

Loved Ceni's face when Neymar did the paradinha again. :D He knew it was coming and still couldn't stop it.

Congrats to Botafogo.

[Botafogo]

Champions!!!!
Oh, my God! I'm so happy:)
Papai Joel is great. Crazy! Loco Abreu!

[J.A.Riise]

Congrats to Botafogo, deserved the title.

Which is something Flamengo players should be ashamed of. No disrespect to Botafogo but our squad is a hundread times stronger. Apart from Love and a few other players, the attitude this year has been ridiculous. No commitment at all.

It's never nice to lose a final but I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. We would have to lose the Carioca someday! haha

Well done to Joel Santana. Legend.

[prbastos7]

We are the champions!!!!
I almost had a heart attack!!!!
Congrats to all Botafogo players for the match commitment!!!

[PHiN]

I think you cariocas will enjoy this. You know those crazy big pictures that you can zoom in and almost see inside someone's nose? Well, they took one of those at the Maracanã yesterday. Search for your friends! :D

http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/campeonatos/estadual-do-rio/ultimas-noticias/2010/04/19/panoramica-mostra-maracana-em-dia-de-final-procure-conhecidos.jhtm


And congrats Botafogo on the title!

[PHiN]

I don't feel like making a Libertadores thread, so I'll just say it here...

GO FLAMENGO! :D
I'm counting on you to kick Corinthians out, Zicão :p

[Dogme]

I'm counting on you to kick Corinthians out, Zicão :p

:mad::mad::mad: Don't make Ronaldo sad :(

[Zicao]

GO FLAMENGO! :D
I'm counting on you to kick Corinthians out, Zicão :p

Flamengo is in a ton of trouble...Andrade and Braz gone today. Right now, Flamengo probably could not beat me, you and 9 other FBTZ members :p

The game is 5 days away and we don't even have a manager :eek:

One thing that I am very glad for is that we got a team from Brasil. It just seems that we play much better against Brasilian teams, plus, I cannot remember the last time that Flamengo got knocked out of the Libertadores by a Brasilian team. If Flamengo plays 75% of what they are capable, then they will destroy Corinthians, problem is, that haven't played 75% of anything in the last couple of months. The last great time they played was the second half against Fluminense in the first round of the Carioca (that was months ago).

We will see what Flamengo team shows up on Wednesday, one thing is for sure, they will be no shortage of drama.

[PHiN]

True, now that I see your sig I noticed that this will be the first matchup of Ronaldo vs Adriano.

Flamengo was considering Joel for the job, but he has confirmed he'll be staying at Botafogo. They'll have their interim coach on Wednesday.
Fluminense has also sacked their coach Cuca and are now after Muricy. I wonder if Flamengo has any interest in him too.

[PHiN]

LOL

So, I just read this (in portuguese)
http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/campeonatos/libertadores/ultimas-noticias/2010/04/26/torcida-do-fla-promete-contratar-drag-queen-para-recepcionar-ronaldo.jhtm

The latest edition of the brazilian Big Brother has ended a while ago, and one of the participants was a drag queen.
Flamengo fans want to pay that drag queen to meet Ronaldo at the airport, stay in the same hotel and be at the game on Wednesday :D

Now that's quite something :P

[Zicao]

LOL

So, I just read this (in portuguese)
http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/campeonatos/libertadores/ultimas-noticias/2010/04/26/torcida-do-fla-promete-contratar-drag-queen-para-recepcionar-ronaldo.jhtm

The latest edition of the brazilian Big Brother has ended a while ago, and one of the participants was a drag queen.
Flamengo fans want to pay that drag queen to meet Ronaldo at the airport, stay in the same hotel and be at the game on Wednesday :D

Now that's quite something :P

That's hilarious. Funnier still would be if he got into Ronaldo's room and spent the night...rinse him out before the game, lol
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6643/ronaldoqv7.png

[PHiN]

Ok, one stab at Corinthians, now I'm about to post something that will make Flamengo fans mad then :P

http://esporte.uol.com.br/futebol/ultimas-noticias/2010/04/27/pesquisa-aponta-empate-tecnico-entre-torcedores-corintianos-e-flamenguistas.jhtm
The latest poll about fan preference in Brazil shows a virtual tie between Flamengo and Corinthians :eek:

Flamengo - 17%
Corinthians - 14%
São Paulo - 8%
Palmeiras - 6%

Since they predict a 2% margin of error either way, they could be tied.

[Zicao]

Apparently Adriano was stopped last night at a Police checkpoint were they were doing drunk driving test, and he passed with flying colors. wow, tremendous improvement for him :p

[Zicao]

Apparently a guy called José Carlos Peruano hired 20 transvestites! :eek:.

They will be positioned directly behind the Corinthians bench.

In an interview to globo, he said:
"Afterwards, if Ronaldo wants, he can take them out for a romantic night"

lol.

The day has finally come, Vamos Mengão!!!

[Dogme]

Amongst that crowd, the transvestites will be hard to spot won't they? :eek:

[Socrates]

Congrats Flamengo. Adriano wins round one.

[Socrates]

The final game is here. Time to take home the trophy.

[Zicao]

wow, that was a beautiful goal by Neymar, beautiful pass from Robinho.

edit:
Another beautiful pass and goal. Although it should be 3 x2 SA right now, the lines women fucked up.

[PHiN]

Yup, very good game so far!

edit
And a Santos player has just been rightfully sent off.. This is gonna be interesting....

[Zicao]

Since the first game ended 3 x 2, why does SA have to win by 2 goals to be champions, why does the same 3 x 2 give the trophy to Santos?

[PHiN]

Because since Santos had a better campaign in the first round, they have the tiebreakers in their favor. They could play for 2 ties or split the games by the same goals difference.
Not all that fair, imo. I think it should be away goals, as usual in 2-legs matchups. Or PKs.

edit-
That same tiebreaker method is what helped Santo Andre make the final, though. They won the first game 2-1, lost the second 2-1 and advanced because they were 2nd place in the first round opposed to Prudente's 3rd place finish.

edit2-
So much time-wasting and diving going on right now..

[Socrates]

Campeão!

[Dogme]

Well done Santos :D

I'm starting to download every Santos game that Robinho has played in. Will take a while :D

[PHiN]

Yup, game over, Santos wins it. Well-deserved, since they were the best team in the championship, no doubt.
But Santo Andre, with no hype or any big names, had a very impressive first round and really gave them a run for their money in both final matches. If they don't lose too many players now that they're on a spotlight, I think they'll do very well in the Serie B and should be up to the 1st division in no time.

[Zicao]

Flamengo are getting dominated! :mad:

[Zicao]

Didn't play well in the first half, played much better in the second. We are thru to the next round! WOW!! :D

[PHiN]

Boy, I don't think I've ever heard such loud cheering against a team before.. When the ref blew the whistle, there was so much screaming, cars honking and fireworks that you would think Brazil had just scored a huge goal in the WC or something. Damn.

Well, I suppose there will be no Libertadores for Corinthians in their 100th anniversary.
That's the risk they decided to take about 2 years ago, when all they could talk about was winning that title on such a special occasion.
Now they're gonna have to deal with the backlash..