Starting this Saturday, Gabigol tries to avoid a negative record of goalless games for Flamengo
The striker has not scored since July 20, when he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in a 2-1 victory over Criciúma in Brasília
Gabigol has reclaimed his starting position following the arrival of Filipe Luís, but he is still struggling to find his form and return to his goalscoring ways. This Saturday at 4:30 PM (Brasília time), he faces Juventude in the 31st round, aiming to break what would be his longest goal drought while wearing the Flamengo jersey.
The striker hasn’t scored since July 20, when he netted the winning penalty in a 2-1 victory over Criciúma. Now 28 years old, Gabigol is currently on a 14-match scoreless streak.
From August 20, 2023, when Gabigol scored a penalty in the 3-2 victory over Coritiba, until January 31, 2024, he experienced another 14-match goal drought. He finally found the net again with a second goal in a 2-0 win against Sampaio Corrêa, finishing with a deft touch past the goalkeeper.
This stretch of matches saw him unable to deliver the trademark punch that has endeared him to Flamengo’s red-and-black fans. During this time, Flamengo also played friendly matches against Philadelphia Union (2-0) and Orlando City (1-1) during their pre-season in the United States, but these games are not counted as they were not official matches.
The current drought is longer in minutes
Gabigol previously voiced his frustration about the limited opportunities he received under Tite, and it was indeed a rare occurrence. However, the situation has shifted since Filipe Luís took over as coach. Gabigol has been a starter in all four matches under his former teammate, indicating a renewed role in the team.
The current 14-game drought is longer in minutes (700) than that between August 2023 and January 2024 (689). The numbers were collected by journalist Roberto Maleson, from Espião Estatístico.
During his current goal drought, Gabigol has started six matches: four under Filipe Luís and two under Tite. Notably, in the games coached by the 63-year-old from Rio Grande do Sul, Gabigol only started in matches where reserve teams were fielded, specifically against São Paulo and Athletico-PR.
In his previous goal drought, he started just three times, all under Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli. He was a substitute in three additional matches with Sampaoli and did not start any of the eight games he played while under Tite’s guidance.
In this challenging period for Gabigol at Flamengo, he has a significant opportunity this Saturday to replicate the goal-scoring form that delighted the red-and-black fans 157 times in 301 matches. Flamengo will be up against Juventude, the second-worst away team in the Brazilian Championship. Juventude has managed just one win, six draws, and nine losses on the road this season.