Vélez’s mission impossible: Flamengo becomes a giant with its football and frightening numbers in Libertadores

And now? This is what the whole Vélez is asking after the 4-0 suffered in a catastrophic night in Liniers. How to reverse the story against a Flamengo who seems to fly over the playing field? Are there any possibilities? This is the question for Alexander Medina’s team who will face a next Wednesday impossible mission in Rio de Janeiro to attempt a miracle and enter the Copa Libertadores final. The Rio de Janeiro cast goes giant with their football and has names, style and numbers that scare anyone.

Fla have done everything right at José Amalfitani, but their game is not based only on a great evening. It has hierarchical individualities that make a one-on-one difference and also a collective sense that invites joy. He arrives with a lot of people in attack and uses all the roads generating an amplitude that gives him space to open the opposing defenses. Indeed, the second goal against Fortín is the perfect example.

He has not known defeat for 15 games. In total, between local and international competitions, he has accumulated 13 wins and two draws. His latest defeat was against Corinthians on 10 July. For this Cup he has won all but one of the games played: 2-2 in Córdoba with Talleres for the group stage. And he has the top scorer of the competition, which he is Pedro with 11 goals, including three made in Lineers.

There is another statistic that does not even give a good atmosphere to Vélez: Flamengo did not lose against Argentine teams for 13 crosses. What was the last time? Almost five years ago: on December 6, 2017, against Independiente in the Copa Sudamericana final, won by the team led by Ariel Holan.

And in the Libertadores the last Argentine to overtake him was San Lorenzo, in the 2017 edition for the group stage. At the same time, Vélez has to go against the record also against Fla. They have played 11 times for the Cups. The Rio de Janeiro team won 7, the Liniers team 2 and there were 2 draws.

The current situation of Flamengo is not accidental. It has a large budget and has been strengthened accordingly (Thumb, Vidal, Everton). Supremacy on the ground is reasonable. On top of that, a Brazilian final is coming again, if Vélez doesn’t reach the feat, of course.