Portuguese Bosses: Jorge Jesus praises “most professional team I’ve worked with” after strong start in Brazil with Flamengo, as Pedro Caixinha makes history in Mexico with Cruz Azul

The weekend saw two of Portugal’s coaching exports secure major victories in Latin America, with Jorge Jesus and Pedro Caixinha making the headlines in Brazil and Mexico respectively.

Sunday afternoon saw former Braga, Benfica and Sporting boss Jesus leading powerhouses Flamengo for the first time in the Campeonato Brasileiro, and a resounding 6-1 victory over Goias sent the packed crowd at the Maracanã home happy. Later on Sunday evening, Caixinha’s Cruz Azul recorded an equally emphatic 4-0 win over Necaxa in the Mexican Supercopa on a record-breaking night for the former Nacional coach.

For veteran coach Jesus, Sunday’s meeting with Goias at the historic Maracanã Stadium was a first opportunity to impress the home supporters in Rio de Janeiro. Jesus made a promising start to life with Flamengo in midweek with a 1-1 draw at Atletico Paranaense in the first leg of their Copa do Brasil quarter-final tie.

The match was almost sold out two days before kick-off, with over 60,000 spectators on-hand to see Jesus make his bow in the Brazilian championship. Thing could scarcely have unfolded more spectacularly, with Flamengo taking the lead in the 6th minute through Giorgian De Arrascaeta and finding themselves 4-1 up at the break.

After 45 minutes, Jesus had already set a record in this year’s Brazilian league for most goals in a first half. Flamengo ended the match with six goals and the highest winning margin of the campaign so far, with Uruguayan De Arrascaeta scoring a hat-trick and a brace for Gabriel Barbosa. “It’s different with Jesus; the intensity is different and we have to keep it going,” Gabriel told reporters after the match.

For his part, Jesus deflected the attention onto his players. “This is the most professional group I have worked with, they want to learn and have a bond,” he said. “In Europe there is an idea that the Brazilian does not like to work hard. I have not found any of this. I have found a team that likes to work and doesn’t turn a blind eye.”

Sunday’s win has raised excitement within Brazil’s most popular club, not least because the debut of Jesus brought the first time Flamengo have scored six goals for around 15 years. The second leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-final with Atletico Paranaense is next up on Wednesday, before a trip to Corinthians next weekend. Fla find themselves third in the Serie A table after ten rounds, six points behind champions Palmeiras.

 

History-maker Caixinha lifts Mexican Supercup

Also revelling in the aftermath of a big win is Pedro Caixinha, who led his Cruz Azul side to the Mexican Supercopa MX with a crushing 4-0 victory over Necaxa in California. Goals from Milton Caraglio, Elias Hernandez, Edgar Mendez and Juan Escobar gave Caixinha his fourth trophy as a coach in Mexico and his second as boss of Cruz Azul.

The victory put Caixinha’s name into the record books as the first coach to win all four competitions in Mexico: Liga MX title, Copa MX; Champion of Champions; Supercopa. Prior to joining Cruz Azul last year, Caixinha also had a successful spell in charge of fellow Mexican outfit Santos Laguna between 2013-15.

“We still have a lot of ambition and now we are going to prepare for another goal, which is to win the league,” Caixinha said after Sunday’s win. Asked about his success in the country, Caixinha added: “I come from a different culture, the Portuguese one, in which we know we have to show very high levels and be competent from the first day. The team takes on this idea well, so we are confident of being successful.”

By Sean Gillen