Fluminense beat Bahia to seal Copa Libertadores group stage spot | OneFootball

Fluminense secured its spot in the group stage of the Libertadores by defeating Bahia 2-0 at Maracanã in the final round of the Brazilian Championship. Ganso and Thiago Silva scored the goals that confirmed the tricolor’s triumph.

Standings Situation

With the victory, Fluminense finished the Brasileirão in fifth place, totaling 64 points. Bahia ended up seventh, with 60 points, and will play in the preliminary phase of the continental competition.

Match Summary

🔴🟢 FLUMINENSE 2 X 0 BAHIA ⚪🔴

 Competition: Brazilian Championship (38th round)  Venue: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)  Date: November 7, 2025 (Sunday)  Time: 4:00 PM (Brasília time)  Yellow cards: Samuel Xavier and Nonato (Fluminense); Acevbedo and Pulga (Bahia)  Red cards: none

Refereeing

Referee: Matheus Delgado Candançan (SP) Assistants: Thiaggo Americano Labes (SC) and Leandro Matos Feitosa (SP) VAR: Emerson de Almeida Ferreira (MG)

Goals

⚽ Ganso, 75′ of the 2nd half (Fluminense) ⚽ Ganso, 82′ of the 2nd half (Fluminense)

🔴🟢 FLUMINENSE

Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Thiago Silva, Freytes and Renê; Martinelli, Nonato (Hécules), Lucho Acosta (Ganso), Serna (Soteldo), Everaldo (John Kennedy) and Canobbio. Coach: Luis Zubeldía.

⚪🔴 BAHIA

Ronaldo; Santiago Arias, Kanu, Santiago Mingo and Luciano Juba; Acevedo (Caio Alexandre), Caio Alexandre, Jean Lucas; Everton Ribeiro (Rodrigo Nestor) and Erick Pulga (Ruan Pablo); Willian José (Cauly), Ademir (Tiago). Coach: Rogério Ceni.

How was the match?

The first half was marked by balance and little offensive creativity. Fluminense and Bahia focused the battle in midfield, with both teams neutralizing each other for most of the plays.

Fluminense managed to create some of the best chances in the opening stage, but were stopped by Ronaldo’s saves and inaccurate finishing. Bahia responded mainly through quick transitions and even threatened, but Martinelli made a decisive clearance to prevent the opening goal.

In the second half, the scenario remained balanced until the changes made by Renato Gaúcho. The introductions of Soteldo and John Kennedy gave the tricolor attack more mobility, but it was the substitution of Ganso that led to the decisive moment.

At the 74th minute, in his first involvement, the midfielder intercepted a poorly executed back pass by Bahia’s defense and lobbed the goalkeeper to score the first goal of the match.

With the lead, Fluminense started to find more space, while Bahia had to push their lines forward. At the 82nd minute, Soteldo advanced down the left and crossed for Thiago Silva, who headed it in to extend the score and seal the result.

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