Flamengo ends Cruzeiro's 11-game unbeaten away run | OneFootball

Flamengo knocked Cruzeiro out of the Libertadores

As expected! Flamengo beat Cruzeiro 2-1 last Wednesday (19) at the Maracanã in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16. As a result, the Rubro-Negro secured a place in the quarterfinals of the South American competition and also ended the Minas Gerais club’s unbeaten away run, which had reached 11 matches without a loss this season.

In short, Cruzeiro had built a very solid run away from home throughout the season. Before facing Flamengo, the Minas Gerais side had gone 11 away matches without losing, with six wins and five draws in that span. That is why the clash at the Maracanã carried even more weight for Flamengo, who needed to overcome an opponent used to getting good results far from Belo Horizonte.

How did Cruzeiro build this unbeaten run?

The unbeaten streak began after Cruzeiro’s last away defeat, which came against São Paulo. On April 4, in the 10th round of the Brazilian Championship, the team from Belo Horizonte was thrashed 4-1 at Morumbis. Calleri opened the scoring, while Ferreira netted three times for the São Paulo side; Christian pulled one back for Cruzeiro.

After that, Cruzeiro put together a string of positive results away from home. First, they beat Barcelona de Guayaquil (ECU) 1-0 on April 7 in the Libertadores. Next, they drew 2-2 with Goiás in the Copa do Brasil, beat Remo 1-0 in the Brasileirão, and played out a 0-0 draw with Universidad Católica (CHI), again in the South American competition.

In addition, the Minas Gerais club earned important results against traditional Brazilian football opponents. The team beat Bahia 2-1, drew 1-1 with Palmeiras, and were held to another 1-1 draw, this time against Boca Juniors (ARG) in the Libertadores. As such, Cruzeiro reached the World Cup break still unbeaten away from home and showing strength across different competitions.

When the calendar resumed, the Minas Gerais side kept up the good form. Cruzeiro beat Internacional 2-1 on July 22 and, eight days later, defeated Coritiba 1-0. Later, they drew 0-0 with Chapecoense in the Copa do Brasil before beating Corinthians 2-1 at the Neo Química Arena, taking the streak to 11 matches without an away defeat.

Which matches were part of Cruzeiro’s unbeaten run?

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Now Flamengo will face Cruzeiro again for the second time in three days. That is because the teams will meet in the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship. The match takes place on Saturday (22) at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte, starting at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time).

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