Stunners, old-boy curse and howlers: Fla beat Flu, climb table

Stunners, old-boy curse and howlers: Fla beat Flu, climb table

At the Maracanã, Flamengo beat Fluminense 2-1 this Sunday (12) in the 11th round of the Brasileirão.

Used to being the rival’s "thorn in the side," the Tricolor from Laranjeiras was dominated by Rubro-Negro for much of the match.

Flamengo’s strategy of pressing the opponent’s buildup paid off.

That was, in fact, how Rubro-Negro’s first goal came about.

Veteran goalkeeper Fábio tried to play out from the back with his feet by finding Samuel Xavier, but the Tricolor full-back was dispossessed by Evertton Araújo.

Pedro noticed that Fábio was still off his line and went for the shot, even from 42 meters out.

Fábio did make amends shortly afterward, though, with a great save on Plata’s shot, which had taken a deflection off Freytes.

Lacking attacking power, especially after losing Lucho Acosta early in the derby to a knee sprain caused by a ball to the face, Fluminense barely troubled goalkeeper Rossi.

After the break, Pedro made the most of the ex-player curse once again, chesting in a cross from the left.

With his two goals in the derby, Pedro further cemented his place as Flamengo’s top scorer of the century, with 163 goals - Gabriel Barbosa has 161.

Pedro could even have had a hat-trick, but was denied by Fábio’s post.

Trailing on the scoreboard, Fluminense pushed forward and began to trouble Rossi.

Even without much organization or creativity in attack, the Tricolor goal came after a scramble in the box, which ended with Alex Sandro providing an "assist" for Savarino, who slid in almost underneath the crossbar.

Despite the late pressure, Fluminense could not find an equalizer in the derby.

🚦 Standings

With the result, Flamengo reached 20 points and moved up to second place in the Brasileirão.

Fluminense, meanwhile, stayed on 20 points but dropped to fourth place on goal difference (+8 for Fla vs. +6 for São Paulo vs. +5).

The Tricolor from Laranjeiras returns to action on Wednesday (15), when it hosts Independiente Rivadavia at the Maracanã in the second round of the Libertadores.

The following day, also at the Maracanã, Rubro-Negro faces Independiente Medellín.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.