Bruno Henrique comes off bench, beats Corinthians, puts Flamengo top | OneFootball

Flamengo beat Corinthians and reclaim the lead in the Brasileirão

After piling on the pressure in the first half and opening the scoring early in the second, Flamengo allowed Corinthians to level the match. Even so, Bruno Henrique rescued Fla after coming off the bench and scoring the winner for the Rubro-Negro side. As a result, Fla beat the São Paulo team 2-1 in the 27th round of the Brasileirão and moved back to the top of the table.

What was the first half like?

In short, Flamengo completely dominated Corinthians in the first half at the Maracanã. In the 21st minute, for example, Plata crossed into the box and Pedro, while challenging for the ball, chested it toward goal, forcing a save from Hugo Souza. Ayrton Lucas pounced on the rebound and tapped it goalward, but João Pedro Tchoca, lying on the ground, cleared it off the line with a header.

Then, in the 29th minute, Leo Ortiz sent the ball into the area, Arrascaeta cushioned it with his chest, and Pedro hit it first time, only for Hugo Souza to make another save. Arrascaeta then tried to capitalize on the rebound, but shot straight into the Corinthians defense.

Shortly after, Flamengo created another good chance in the 32nd minute. Pedro threw himself at the ball to flick it back, and Arrascaeta shot wide in yet another dangerous moment in the match. Finally, in the 45th minute, Gui Negão misplaced a back pass and Varela fired a left-footed shot wide.

As a result, the first half ended with 18 shots for Flamengo and 0 for Corinthians. However, Leonardo Jardim’s team could not turn that pressure into goals and went into halftime level at 0-0 with the São Paulo club.

And the second half?

It did not take long for Flamengo’s first-half pressure to turn into a goal after the break. Just two minutes in, Arrascaeta took a corner. Meanwhile, Hugo Souza tried to punch it clear, but ended up laying it off for Lucas Paquetá, who controlled the loose ball with his left leg and smashed it home to open the scoring for Fla at the Maracanã.

Despite that, Flamengo allowed Corinthians to equalize in the 32nd minute of the second half. On the play, Breno Bidon found Kaio César up front. Wearing the No. 37 shirt, he combined with Garro as he entered the box and squared it for Gui Negão to finish and level the score at the Maracanã: 1-1.

Who put Flamengo back in front?

Him. Always him! Bruno Henrique Pinto. After coming off the bench, the No. 27 scored the Rubro-Negro winner in the 43rd minute of the second half. In short, Samuel Lino worked the ball with Jorginho, who played it first time to Joaquín Freitas on the left. The Argentine delivered a perfect cross into the box for Fla’s captain to rise above Iago Machado and put the Most Beloved back in front again: 2-1 to Mengão!

What does this mean for Fla in the standings?

With the win over Corinthians, Flamengo picked up three points and moved to 57 points in the Brazilian Championship standings. As a result, the Most Beloved reclaimed the top spot in the Brasileirão, as they are now one point ahead of Palmeiras, who have 56 and have already played in the 27th round of the national tournament.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Now Flamengo switch focus to the Libertadores showdown. That is because on Thursday (17), the Most Beloved face Independiente del Valle (ECU) again at the Maracanã in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the South American competition. Kickoff is at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time.

It is worth noting that, in the first leg, Flamengo beat Independiente del Valle 2-0 at altitude in Quito, Ecuador. That means the Rubro-Negro head into the return leg at home with an advantage. Not for nothing, Fla can even lose by as many as one goal and still advance to the Libertadores semifinals.

MATCH DETAILS: FLAMENGO x CORINTHIANS

Competition: Brasileirão, Round 27Venue: Maracanã, Rio de JaneiroDate: Sunday, September 13, 2026Time: 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time)

What were the lineups?

Flamengo: Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Léo Ortiz and Ayrton Lucas; Pulgar, Paquetá and Arrascaeta; Gonzalo Plata, Samuel Lino and Pedro.Head coach: Leonardo Jardim.

Corinthians: Hugo Souza; Pedro Milans, João Pedro Tchoca, Iago Machado and Angileri; Raniele, Charles and Matheus Pereira; Lingard, Dieguinho and Gui Negão.Head coach: Fernando Diniz.

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