Braga off to losing start with Fluminense
Reuters - Monday 13 June 2011, 01:58
RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian champions
Fluminense, who waited three months for coach Abel Braga to end
his contract in the Middle East, gave him a losing start with a
2-0 defeat at Corinthians on Sunday.
Flu have been under a caretaker coach since 2010
title-winning coach Muricy Ramalho resigned in March and
agreeing for Braga to take charge once he had left Al-Jazira of
the United Arab Emirates.
Striker Willian scored both Corinthians goals, first with a
header in the sixth minute from captain Danilo's cross and a
penalty after half an hour following a foul by Leandro Euzebio
on Liedson.
Since Ramalho's departure, Fluminense have been knocked out
of the South American Libertadores Cup in the round of 16 and
lost two of their four Brazilian championship matches. Ramalho
has since steered Santos to the Libertadores Cup final.
"I'm upset by the goal at the beginning of the game which I
had warned we must not concede," Braga told reporters.
"But I am happy with my team's attitude because it's
difficult to mess around with the players' heads.
"They understood and believed. For me, it was the start of a
good understanding. Not so good for the result."
Corinthians are in second place on 10 points, two behind
city rivals Sao Paulo who beat Gremio 3-1 on Saturday with two
goals from Brazil youth international Casemiro and are the only
team with a perfect record after four matches.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's Palmeiras are third with eight points
after a 2-2 draw away to Internacional to remain among a group
of four unbeaten teams.
Young Brazil striker Leandro Damiao salvaged a point for the
home side heading a last-minute equaliser.
Ramalho's Santos, resting key players for Wednesday's first
leg of the Libertadores Cup final away to Penarol of Uruguay in
Montevideo, fielded reserves in a 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro on
Saturday.
Vasco da Gama, whose victory over Coritiba in last
Wednesday's Copa Brasil final secured their place in next year's
Libertadores Cup, drew 1-1 at home against Figueirense.
(Writing by Rex Gowar in Buenos Aires; editing by Greg
Stutchbury; to query or comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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