Carnival show: Flamengo cruise past Botafogo, face Madureira next | OneFootball

With Goals from Paquetá and Pulgar, Flamengo Advances in the Campeonato Carioca

Carnival Sunday? Then there's a parade of the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, score 10! The Rubro-Negro danced on the synthetic carpet of the Nilton Santos Stadium and defeated Botafogo 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Carioca. Lucas Paquetá opened the scoring, Barboza equalized, and Erick Pulgar secured Mengão's spot in the semis.

Now, in the next phase, Flamengo faces Madureira. Unlike the quarterfinals, the semis are played in two legs, with the first match already next week. However, the day and time are yet to be defined by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation (FERJ). The winner will face Vasco, Fluminense, or Bangu in the final.

HOW WAS THE FIRST HALF?

With a lighter team than in recent matches, Flamengo started with good old offensive pressure in marking. As a result, Botafogo struggled to play out from the back and resorted to fouls to stop the fast trio Samuel Lino, Carrascal, and Plata.

At 18 minutes, part of the crowd shouted goal. After a corner from Carrascal, Lucas Paquetá hit the net from the outside with a header, deceiving the fans. However, shortly after, the young player gave real reasons to celebrate. Bruno Henrique passed to the midfielder, who struck first-time into the corner, scoring the first on his return to the beloved club.

Despite the goal, Flamengo did not relax and remained better in the game. Apart from a counterattack by Matheus Martins for Botafogo, the rival hardly threatened goalkeeper Andrew. On the other hand, the Rubro-Negro continued to control the match, playing a lot on the right side, with Emerson Royal being heavily involved.

HOW WAS THE SECOND HALF?

The total superiority of Flamengo in the first half ended quickly. After all, at eight minutes into the second half, following a corner kick, Barboza equalized with a header, lobbing over goalkeeper Andrew. Right after the goal, Filipe Luís called on Everton Cebolinha and Arrascaeta, who replaced Samuel Lino and Bruno Henrique.

However, Botafogo continued to be better in the second half. At 16 minutes, Arthur Novaes almost turned the game around with a shot from outside the area that grazed Andrew's post. Even though they played on Thursday (12), the home team seemed more rested than Flamengo, who played on Tuesday (10).

However, when the underdog is doing well, it's a sign that the 'master' will find a goal. And so it happened. At 38 minutes, Arrascaeta took a corner into the area, Vitão flicked it with his head, and it fell to Pulgar, completely free at the far post. The Chilean headed, Neto parried, and it came back to the number 5, who didn't waste the second chance. Mengão 2-1 and qualified!

WHEN IS FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAME?

Thus, Flamengo shifts focus from the Cariocão to the Recopa Sudamericana. On Thursday (19), the Rubro-Negro faces Lanús (ARG) in the first leg of the final in Argentina. The match kicks off at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), with full coverage by Coluna do Fla.

MATCH DETAILS BOTAFOGO 1X2 FLAMENGO Competition: Campeonato Carioca, quarterfinals Location: Nilton Santos Stadium, Engenhão, Rio de Janeiro Date: February 15, 2026 Goals: Lucas Paquetá 18’/1st, Barboza 8’/2nd, Erick Pulgar 38/2nd

Botafogo: Neto; Vitinho, Bastos, Barboza, and Alex Telles; Newton, Danilo, and Jordan Barrera; Montoro, Lucas Villalba, and Matheus Martins. Coach: Martín Anselmi.

Flamengo: Andrew, Emerson Royal, Danilo, Vitão, and Ayrton Lucas; Erick Pulgar, Lucas Paquetá, and Jorge Carrascal; Gonzalo Plata, Samuel Lino, and Bruno Henrique. Coach: Filipe Luís.

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