😮 Relegation risk? Flamengo halfway through Cariocão at the bottom | OneFootball

Just as has been happening in recent years, Flamengo adopted the strategy of using young academy players in the first rounds of the Cariocão.

However, in 2026, the state tournament has only six rounds and, with the "homegrown" players performing below expectations, the Rubro-Negro is at the bottom of the championship standings.

After the 3-0 defeat to Volta Redonda last Saturday (17th), Flamengo saw Maricá beat Portuguesa 1-0 and Sampaio Corrêa defeat Botafogo 2-1 this Sunday (18th).

With the day's results, the Rubro-Negro ended up in last place in the Cariocão because Lusa da Ilha also has one point after three rounds, but a better goal difference (-3 vs -4).

Flamengo still has matches against Vasco (Maracanã, 01/21), Fluminense (Maracanã, 01/25), and Sampaio Corrêa (Maracanã, 02/07).

The Rubro-Negro board has already decided to continue with the under-20 team for the classic matches, at least for now, and that coach Filipe Luís will only take charge of the team on January 28th – the start of the Brasileirão.

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According to the regulations of the 2026 Cariocão, the bottom two teams from each group (currently, Sampaio Corrêa and Portuguesa in Group A and Maricá and Flamengo in Group B) will play a final quadrangular in which ONLY the last-placed team will be relegated.

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

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