Operário beats Londrina and Luizinho Lopes explodes: "We are a stronger team"

Worker wins Londrina by 2 to 1 and returns to gain strength in the dispute for the first positions of the Serie B of the Brazilian Championship. After the Paranaense classic, the coach Luizinho Lopes valued the performance of the Phantom, explained the strategy used in front of the rival and stated that, in the context of the match, considers that the team of Ponta Grossa was superior.

In the press conference after the match, the coach started the demonstration making a point of sharing the victory with all the professionals who work at the club, from the board to the employees responsible for the day-to-day structure. “I want to congratulate everyone who makes the Worker, from the board, the aunts who take care of our food, who wash our clothes, the people who take care of the field, finally, the entire family of the Worker,” he said.

Luizinho also made an emphatic defense of the moment lived by the club. “O Operário is a humble club and a very promising club in Brazilian football. “It is the second oldest club of Paraná, the current two-time champion of Paraná and has been noticing itself in the last ten years as a very competitive club in Serie B,” he said.

For the coach, the structure and organization outside of the four lines also help explain the growth of the Phantom. “It is a club that is about to reform its stadium, a thriving club, that strictly honors the salaries of everyone. It’s a club that deserves all the respect,” he added.

Luizinho highlights study on Londrina

In analyzing the victory, Luizinho Lopes made it clear that the result was also constructed from the detailed study of the opponent.

The coach praised the history of Londrina and stated that respect for the rival was just one of the factors that made the Worker enter prepared for the confrontation. Maybe that's why we won both games. Maybe Londrina had not known the Worker so well until now,” he said.

In the evaluation of Luizinho, who treats the confrontation with greater attention increases the chances of winning. “We won because we studied a lot, we respected a lot and we valued the game a lot. Who values the classic more, who studies the opponent more and who delivers more on the field is closer to victory,” he said.

Strategy worked on the first goal

Luizinho Lopes also detailed the tactical preparation to face the London defensive system. The proposal was to press the ball out and, after the recovery of possession, accelerate the plays by the spaces identified by the technical committee.

According to him, the first goal came precisely from a situation worked out before the match. "The goal comes exactly as we had planned," he said.

Even recognizing that the Worker did not have the possession of the ball during the whole confrontation, Luizinho assessed that the Ghost managed to be more dangerous. If it fits a few more transitions, I could have scored more goals,” he said.

In the final stage, Londrina increased the pressure and managed to reach the draw. For Luizinho, however, the Worker knew how to endure the adverse moment and was more efficient when he had the opportunities.

"They had more volume, yes, but our team was more lethal, it was decisive and it was deadly," he said.

“In strength, courage and belief”

The coach also appreciated the reaction of the team after suffering the draw. Luizinho especially highlighted the participation of the athletes who entered during the match and the posture of the team in the decisive minutes. We raise the pressure, steal the ball and can make a great move. On the basis of strength, courage and belief, we scored the goal of victory,” he said.

It was at this point that Luizinho presented one of the strongest statements of the interview. “I think, in the general context, we are more team on the field.”

Workers back at the G6

In addition to the regional importance of the confrontation, the three points have direct weight in the campaign of the Worker in Serie B. The Phantom reached 40 points, and Luizinho Lopes understands that the score keeps the club close to the fight for the G6.

The coach avoided analyzing only the winless sequence that preceded the classic and asked for a broader evaluation of the campaign. If you take the overall context of the competition, we have 40 points. "This is what drives the Worker into Serie B next year and brings us closer to joining the G6," he said.

Luizinho also recalled that the team has already gone through moments of oscillation during the competition and managed to react. “We are there at the door of the G6 again, which is where we want to be until the last round.”

Technician asks for support for final straight

For Luizinho Lopes, winning also has an important emotional impact on the series B sequence. The coach stressed that the dream of finishing the competition between the top places will require an above average campaign. We have to do something extraordinary, and in some moments it will suffer more,” he said.

Even recognizing the difficulties, Luizinho assured that the Worker will continue to aim at the top of the classification. Every victory now approaches a dream.”

With the triumph in the classic, the Phantom ends a sequence of five games without winning in the Serie B and reaches 40 points, in the seventh place, only two behind the CRB, current sixth place.

The next match will be against CRB, in direct confrontation by the G6, on Wednesday (9), at 8.30 pm, in Germano Krüger, in Ponta Grossa.

The 2-1 victory over Londrina came in the 26th round; the official result is also confirmed by the CBF.