Flamengo Triumphs over Fluminense and Closes in on Guanabara Cup

On Sunday, 25th, under the scorching heat of the Maracanã stadium, Flamengo emerged victorious over Fluminense with a 2-0 win. This was a significant game as it was part of the penultimate round of the Carioca Championship. The triumph showcased the true style of the team coach, featuring strong defensive play, quick ball interception, and rapid transitions.

Flamengo, also known as Fla, is now on the brink of securing the Guanabara Cup title. Fla is currently leading with 24 points and only needs a draw to clinch the championship of the first round. If Fla loses, Fluminense would need to overcome a nine-goal difference and match the score. Nova Iguaçu is also on 21 points, similar to Fluminense, but has fewer goals.

The classic ‘law of the ex’ was in full effect during the game. Flamengo’s Pedro, who previously played for Fluminense, was the key player of the game, scoring goals against his former team. He celebrated his seventh goal of the season by putting the ball inside his shirt, indicating that he is expecting twins. Everton Cebolinha also contributed to the score by netting the second goal.

The final round of the Carioca Championship will take place over the weekend. Flamengo will be playing against Madureira, while Fluminense will face Botafogo. Fluminense will also host LDU at Maracanã for the second game of the Recopa decision on Thursday.

Flamengo managed to break Fluminense’s unbeaten streak in the Carioca Championship while maintaining their own. Notably, Flamengo’s defense has yet to concede any goals under the guidance of their coach, Tite, in this competition.

Flamengo received unfortunate news that Gerson, one of their key players, will need to undergo surgery. He is currently dealing with hydronephrosis and a kidney infection, which will keep him away from the field for some time.

Fluminense’s coach, Fernando Diniz, decided to rest some of his players for the game. Felipe Melo, Paulo Henrique Ganso, and Keno were not listed for the match. Left-back Marcelo suffered a hamstring injury during the game against LDU for the Recopa and had to sit out.

Game Overview

The game was marked by hot weather conditions and limited clear scoring opportunities for both teams. The match was fiercely contested, resulting in three yellow cards being handed out. Both teams showed signs of fatigue due to the intense heat in Rio de Janeiro. Fluminense had a goal disallowed due to offside after a VAR review, which was the most notable incident of the game.

Flamengo applied constant pressure to regain possession, making it difficult for Fluminense to maintain control of the ball. Although Flamengo had several opportunities to score from recovered balls, they needed to improve their decision-making in the final third. On the other hand, Fluminense struggled to break through Flamengo’s solid defense, despite increasing their efforts towards the end of the first half.

At the start of the second half, Fluminense dominated ball possession, barely allowing Flamengo any time on the ball. However, Pedro managed to break the deadlock for Flamengo with a goal after just seven minutes. After taking the lead, Tite’s team controlled the match.

Diniz urged his team, Fluminense, to increase their pace and find ways to penetrate Flamengo’s defensive block, but they were outplayed by Flamengo. Despite making several changes to increase their dynamism, Fluminense were unable to stop Flamengo from extending their lead with some high-quality play and exceptional ball passing. Flamengo’s Arrascaeta even came close to scoring a spectacular goal from midfield. In the end, Flamengo simply had to run down the clock to secure their victory in the classic.

Match Details

Flamengo 2 x 0 Fluminense
10th round – Carioca Championship

Flamengo’s Line-up: Rossi; Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas (Viña); Erick Pulgar, De La Cruz (Igor Jesus) and Arrascaeta; Luiz Araújo (Bruno Henrique), Everton Cebolinha (Victor Hugo) and Pedro (Gabigol). Coach: Tite.

Fluminense’s Line-up: Fábio; Guga (Lima), Thiago Santos (Antônio Carlos), Marlon (Alexsander), Diogo Barbosa; André, Martinelli, Renato Augusto (Terans); Douglas Costa (John Kennedy), Arias and Cano. Coach: Fernando Diniz.

Venue: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Referee: Yuri Elino Ferreira of the Cross
Assistants: Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Corrêa and Luiz Claudio Regazone
VAR: Rodrigo Nunes de Sá

Attendance: 51,966 paying / 55,401 present
Revenue: R$ 2.763.177,00
Yellow cards: Erick Pulgar, Arrascaeta (FLA), Thiago Santos, Douglas Costa, Lima (FLU)
Goals: Pedro (7 minutes into the second half), Everton Cebolinha (29 minutes into the second half).