Paulo Sousa perplexed after Flamengo suffer derby defeat to Botafogo | OneFootball

Paulo Sousa cursed Flamengo’s luck after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to city rivals Botafogo on Sunday.

The Rubro-Negro dominated the Rio de Janiero derby, which was played at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília.

They were were desperately unlucky to see a Gabriel Barbosa first-half effort ruled out after VAR deemed he was marginally offide.

Flamengo goalkeeper Hugo Souza didn’t cover himself in glory with his poor attempt to repel Erison’s 51st-minute winner, but his counterpart Gatito Fernández was in inspired form as he denied the “hosts” with a string of excellent saves.

Manager Sousa urged supporters to show patience as his Fla side undergo a period of transition, but also pointed to the Mengão’s display as evidence they are heading in the right direction.

“We have an important year of renewal, reconstruction of tactical and mental processes,” Sousa said.

“We know that results are important to keep working. When they don’t happen, we have to overcome the demands of our fans, who want to win.

“We did everything to win, we had an overwhelming attack to get out of here with the victory.”

Defeat leaves Flamengo languishing in 14th place in the Brasileirão table, with just five points from their opening five games.