At the same Maracanã where they celebrated the Carioca title last Sunday (8), Flamengo defeated Cruzeiro 2-0 this Wednesday (11), in the fifth round of the Brasileirão.
The Raposa started the game making many mistakes in their ball distribution.
The Rubro-Negro, then, took advantage.
Pedro showed alertness and skill by keeping the ball at the edge of the box, taking Fabricio Bruno out of the play, and nutmegging Villalba to open the scoring.
In the next play, after another mistake by Cruzeiro in their ball distribution, Arrascaeta dribbled past Cássio in the box, but Fabrício Bruno cleared the ball off the line.
After calming down on the field and reducing their mistakes, the Celeste team threatened goalkeeper Rossi.
Like in Villarreal’s dangerous shot.
Still in the first half, the refereeing almost got complicated by sending off Matheus Henrique for a handball when Cebolinha could have gone through on goal.
But, after a VAR review, the referee realized the mistake and withdrew the red card for the Cruzeiro midfielder.
After the break, Flamengo came very close to extending their lead with a rocket from Arrascaeta that smashed against Cássio’s post.
Cássio, in fact, was substituted a few minutes later after making a save and landing awkwardly.
Before that, Cruzeiro complained about a possible penalty, but VAR did not ask the referee to review the play.
The game heated up in the final minutes, with the Raposa pressing for an equalizer.
Villalba and Pulgar even had a brief altercation, but the referee didn’t let the situation escalate.
However, in stoppage time, in a deadly counterattack, Samuel Lino assisted Carrascal, who surged forward at speed and finished with a beautiful chip to seal the score.
😯 Tension in Reunions
The match was coach Leonardo Jardim’s first, now with Flamengo, against Cruzeiro.
And the Celeste fans brought bills with the Portuguese coach’s face on them.
That’s because, when leaving the Raposa, Leonardo Jardim stated that in Brazil, he would only coach Cruzeiro.
But the situation was much worse for Gerson and his father.
The midfielder for the Minas Gerais team was booed and cursed by Flamengo fans every time he touched the ball.
And Gerson’s father, who was present in a Maracanã box, had to leave the area after being insulted by Rubro-Negro fans.
🚦 What Now
With their second consecutive win in the Brasileirão, Flamengo reached seven points and climbed to sixth place.
Cruzeiro, meanwhile, remains in second-to-last place (and could return to the bottom at the end of the round), with just two points.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
