Abel sees the result as unfair and Fluminense as harmed by the referee.
The coach did not hide his indignation with the refereeing after the 3-2 defeat to Flamengo; the coach complained about a non-existent foul by Lanzini on Muralha.
Coach Abel Braga did not hide his indignation with the refereeing after the 3-2 defeat to Flamengo in last Sunday's derby at Engenhão, in which Fluminense was ultimately defeated after conceding two goals in the final minutes. The coach complained about a non-existent foul by Lanzini on Muralha that resulted in the 2-2 equalizer after a beautiful free-kick by Bottinelli, and classified the final result as unfair.
Abel also said that the foul that led to Flamengo's second goal wouldn't have been called if the score had been 2-1 for Flamengo at that moment. "I think we played a great game, and based on how the game went, it didn't deserve a winner, but Flamengo was luckier and got the victory. But, the great football played by both teams must be highlighted. However, if it had been 2-1 with the score reversed, the foul wouldn't have been given," stated the coach, who was even sent off the field for complaining about referee Felipe Gomes da Silva. "It's a disgrace. That foul was definitely invented, there was no foul at all," he exclaimed.
The coach also complained about another incident in which Fluminense was also allegedly harmed by the refereeing. "At the end of the first half, in a play down the sideline, Renato elbowed Rafael Moura in front of the fourth official (Felipe Gomes da Silva) and he didn't say anything," he pointed out.
Abel, however, believes that Fluminense will remain in the fight for the Brasileirão title and is already looking ahead to the match against Coritiba next Thursday at 20:30 pm at Engenhão, for the 29th round of the national tournament. "We're not going to give up. Our performance so far has been very good. We need to work on the team better, improve the players' mindset, because we're going to play a tough match, perhaps even more difficult than today's (Sunday's) game," he concluded.
Fluminense is in sixth place in the Brazilian Championship, with 44 points, and saw Flamengo, in fourth place, open up a three-point lead over them after their defeat last Sunday. Botafogo, with 46 points, is in fifth place.