By Humberto Viera
The goalless draw between Gremio and Palestino this Wednesday in the Copa Sudamericana left one of the most surreal sequences of the season. Brazilian forward Carlos Vinícius assumed full responsibility after missing three consecutive penalties in the same matchalso admitting that he ignored his coach’s direct instructions for the last charge.
The tension reached its peak when, after missing the first two opportunities from the penalty spot, a third maximum penalty was awarded in favor of the Porto Alegre team. At that moment, coach Luís Castro sent the order for captain Willian to take the shot, instruction that was rejected by Vinícius himself on the field.
At the end of the match, the number 95 faced the media and explained the reason for his decision: “I take responsibility, it’s all mine. I received the coach’s message through Willian, but I asked if I could continue and they said yes. Unfortunately it went wrong, “But a player of this level has to be prepared for everything.”
Despite the triple error that deprived Gremio of victory, the forward was firm in his character: “It has nothing to do with the coach. He is our leader, but I wanted to take responsibility. If I have to throw another one by order of the coach, I will be there again.”
In the subsequent press conference, the Portuguese strategist confirmed that he tried to intervene to change the pitcher, but was limited by the rules of the technical area.
The incident leaves Gremio with a bitter taste in the continental competition and opens a debate about the hierarchy in penalty shootouts within the gaúcho locker room.
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