Here come Flamengo! Beat Mirassol, 1 point off top, Palmeiras tremble | OneFootball

Flamengo once again had an excellent first half and won at the Maracanã

Palmeiras fans are desperate, because Flamengo have arrived! This Wednesday (02), the Rubro-Negro played their postponed match from the fourth round of the Brasileirão and beat Mirassol 2-0 at the Maracanã. The goals were scored by Jorge Carrascal and Lucas Paquetá.

With the result, Flamengo moved up to 51 points, compared to Palmeiras’ 52. Now there’s no asterisk anymore: both teams have played 25 matches in this edition of the Brazilian Championship. That means Mengão now depends only on themselves to win their tenth national title.

HOW WAS THE FIRST HALF?

In the fourth minute, Flamengo nearly repeated the stunning goal from Sunday (30) against Botafogo. Carrascal backheeled it to Pedro. In the same fashion, the number 9 laid it off for Samuel Lino. Wearing number 16, he left Paquetá in a great position to score, but Mirassol’s defense managed to block it almost on the goal line.

The match started in electrifying fashion, with Flamengo pressing hard as usual. In the 11th minute, Samuel Lino was brought down at the edge of the box, but referee Anderson Daronco waved play on. From the rebound, Jorginho unleashed a rocket from outside the area that flew just past the post.

In the 13th minute, an absolute STUNNER. Erick Pulgar started from the back with a spectacular chipped pass for Samuel Lino. Number 16 burst down the left wing and played it to Pedro. The striker was unselfish and set up Carrascal, who, completely free, blasted it past Walter.

In the 30th minute, a worrying moment: Pulgar had to be substituted. The Chilean had taken a knock a little earlier, tried to stay on the field, but couldn’t continue. Shortly after, Flamengo missed the chance to extend the lead. Samuel Lino crossed from the left, Léo Ortiz met it with a shot, but the ball went over.

In the 39th minute, an unbelievable play! Pedro burst down the left and passed to Samuel Lino, who got a shot away. The ball took a deflection and fell perfectly for Varela, with the goal at his mercy. But the full-back hit it weakly, straight into Walter’s hands.

Unlike in recent matches, Flamengo managed to score their second before halftime. Jorge Carrascal found space on the right and sent it into the box, onto Paquetá’s head, and he powered it into the back of the net! Mengão 2-0 and the Nation celebrates at the Maracanã!

HOW WAS THE SECOND HALF?

At halftime, Flamengo had to make a change. After all, Evertton Araújo, who had come on for Pulgar, felt muscle pain and made way for Arrascaeta. And number 10 nearly added another. In the sixth minute, the Uruguayan ran onto a through ball from Pedro and shot as Alex Muralha (yes, him!) came off his line to make the save. The former Flamengo goalkeeper came on in the second half because of Walter’s injury.

The 45 minutes were quite uneventful, and Flamengo even managed to conserve energy to some extent. On one hand, they were never really under threat; on the other, Leonardo Jardim’s team didn’t press high either. With the game under control, Leonardo Jardim even brought on Saúl, the fifth option among Flamengo’s defensive midfielders. The Spaniard had not played in 95 days.

SO, WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Flamengo return to action on Sunday (06), when they face Remo at Mangueirão Stadium in the 26th round of the Brasileirão. The match kicks off at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time), with on-site coverage from Coluna do Fla.

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