Rossi blunder, Pedro saves late as Flamengo draw with Athletico-PR | OneFootball

Flamengo and Athletico-PR drew this Sunday (17) at Arena da Baixada

Palmeiras slipped up this round, but once again Flamengo did not know how to take advantage. That’s because the Most Beloved repeated the São Paulo side’s draw. Playing at Arena da Baixada, Mengo came away with a 1-1 draw in the 16th round of the Brasileirão. However, the result felt like a win.

Flamengo’s performance was dreadful, especially in the first half, and Athletico hit the crossbar on more than one occasion. But in the closing stages, at the 38th minute of the second half, Pedro leveled it.

As a result, Flamengo remain four points behind leaders Palmeiras, who drew 1-1 with Cruzeiro on Saturday (16). It is worth noting, however, that the teams face each other in the next round, and Mengo have played one match fewer than the top side.

HOW WAS THE FIRST HALF?

With Arena da Baixada packed, as has rarely been seen, Athletico-PR overwhelmed Flamengo in the opening minutes. In the 10th minute, the home side opened the scoring. In a messy play, Mendoza shot, the ball took a deflection, and Rossi let in a howler.

Unrecognizable on the pitch until then, Flamengo had their first shot on target in the 15th minute, but it caused no trouble, through Samuel Lino. Santos held it comfortably. After that, with the lead, Athletico dropped into a defensive setup. Meanwhile, Mengo, with Saúl and Carrascal having a dreadful night, barely threatened the Paraná side.

At 41′, the Most Beloved were robbed by the refereeing! Lucas Paquetá took a brutal challenge right to the middle of the shin, but the referee only showed a yellow card. Grupo Globo commentator Paulo Cesar de Oliveira believed it should have been a red.

HOW WAS THE SECOND HALF?

Flamengo started the second half asleep and gave Viveros a huge opening just 15 seconds in, but Léo Pereira saved it and knocked it out for a corner. From the set piece, Aguirre rose completely unmarked and forced Rossi into a save.

It was all Athletico! In the second minute, Léo Pereira made a ridiculous blunder, the ball fell to Viveros, who set up Mendoza. The forward hit it first time, and Rossi tipped it out for a corner, saving Flamengo again. At last, Flamengo responded. In the fifth minute, Samuel Lino delivered a fine cross for Carrascal, but the Colombian hit the crossbar.

The Rio side gradually grew into the game.  In the 12th minute, Alex Sandro got to the byline and played a pinpoint pass to Pedro, but the number 9 completely missed the ball, wasting an excellent chance. At 33′, Athletico-PR missed the chance to kill off the game. Viveros went one-on-one with Rossi and shot twice, with the goalkeeper saving both. On the third attempt, the forward hit the crossbar.

At 37′, the crossbar again! Felipinho, with a thunderous long-range strike, rattled Rossi’s woodwork. But if you don’t take your chances, you concede. Bruno Henrique received a spectacular through ball, reached the byline, and squared it for Pedro. The opportunistic striker did not miss this time. Equalizer in the 38th minute of the second half!

In stoppage time, Danilo had to stop the play during a Viveros breakaway, being the last man. As he had already been booked, the center back received a second yellow and was sent off. To hold on to the result, Leonardo Jardim took off Carrascal and sent Vitão onto the pitch.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Flamengo return to action in the Brasileirão next Saturday (23), against Palmeiras at the Maracanã. Before that, however, the Most Beloved have a fifth-round Group A match in the Copa Libertadores. Also in Rio de Janeiro, Mengão will face Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG), with kickoff at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time on Wednesday (20).

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