Flamengo title winner misses late pen, denies Paulista side promotion | OneFootball

Adriano Imperador’s backup in 2009, Bruno Mezenga became Ituano’s ‘villain’

Part of Flamengo’s 2009 six-time Brazilian championship-winning squad, Bruno Mezenga missed the chance to make history with another red-and-black club: Ituano. The team needed just a win over Ferroviária to earn promotion to the top division of the Paulista Championship, but the striker missed a penalty late in the match.

In the clash held last Thursday (30), Ituano and Ferroviária were tied 1-1 when, in the 42nd minute, the referee awarded a penalty to the red-and-black side. Then 37-year-old Bruno Mezenga took the ball to try to ‘become the hero.’ However, the forward struck it at mid-height, and goalkeeper Dênis Júnior made the save, securing Ferroviária’s promotion.

Bruno Mezenga was signed by Ituano in December last year for the Paulista Série B and Brasileirão Série C campaigns. However, it has not been a good year for the former Flamengo player. In 21 matches, the striker has just two goals and two assists.

HOW WAS BRUNO MEZENGA AT FLAMENGO?

A product of Flamengo’s youth academy, Bruno Mezenga made his professional debut in 2005. However, the high point of the striker’s career with the Sacred Jersey came in 2009, when he frequently filled in for Adriano Imperador. The backup, for example, started in the penultimate round of the Brasileirão, when the Most Beloved took over the top spot in the competition with a win over Corinthians.

Afterward, Bruno Mezenga remained at Flamengo in 2010, but then left the club. Since then, the player has had spells in smaller European markets such as Turkey, Serbia, and Poland, before moving on to clubs in Brazil’s lower divisions. The exception was his stint at Santos in 2023, after standing out in that year’s Paulistão with Água Santa.

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