At the Maracanã, Fluminense beat Corinthians 3-1 this Wednesday (1) in the ninth round of the 2026 Brasileirão.
The match, overall, reflected the teams’ positions in the standings.
In other words, the Tricolor Carioca looked far more organized in every area, while Timão were offensively inefficient.
Curiously, the first big chance fell to Corinthians in the very first minute, but Fábio showed why, even at 45, fans are still calling for him to be in the Brazil national team.
Making his 150th professional appearance in the tricolor shirt, John Kennedy — the hero of the 2023 Libertadores — opened the scoring after dribbling past the goalkeeper.
Kevin Serna also deserves credit for making the whole move with his pace.
Taking advantage of Corinthians’ high defensive line, Fluminense doubled their lead before halftime.
Serna broke free and surged forward at speed, hit the post, but Hércules pounced on the rebound and poked it through the goalkeeper’s legs.
After the break, when Lingard came on to make his debut, Corinthians tested Fábio again with another long-range effort.
But it was no use.
Even with goalkeeper Kauê — replacing Hugo Souza, who was away with the national team — pulling off a few miracles, like on this beautiful strike from Samuel Xavier…
The third goal came from Rodrigo Castillo, finishing off Martinelli’s assist from inside the box.
In stoppage time, Corinthians pulled one back through André. The goal was questioned because of a possible high foot in the play, but it was eventually allowed after a VAR review.
😱 Tempers flare at the Maracanã
Fluminense and Corinthians players clashed several times during the match.
By the 15th minute, there had already been calls for a red card.
Center-back Gabriel Paulista, for example, went after Lucho Acosta.
But the incident that definitely drew the most attention was Allan’s sending-off for an obscene gesture.
🚦 The situation
With their second straight win in the Brasileirão, Fluminense moved up to 19 points and drew level with leaders Palmeiras — who remain top on goal difference (9 to 6).
Corinthians, meanwhile, are now winless in six rounds and stayed on 10 points, in 11th place in the standings.
The Tricolor from Laranjeiras return to action on Saturday (4), when they visit Coritiba at Couto Pereira for the 10th round.
Timão, meanwhile, host Internacional at Neo Química Arena on Sunday (5).
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
