🎥 Flamengo hit their stride, beat Cusco and eye top spot in Libertadores | OneFootball

The expectation was for a comfortable win to put the team in a strong position in the race for the best record in the 2026 Copa Libertadores group stage. 

There were boos from part of the crowd, tension after a first half below expectations and... a decisive Bruno Henrique at the Maracanã. 

Thanks to two goals from him and one from Paquetá, Flamengo beat Cusco 3-0 on Tuesday night (26).

Securing applause at the final whistle. 

And now, they will be rooting against two Argentine teams — see below. 

Fla left a lot to be desired in the 1st half

Leonardo Jardim preferred to give minutes to a good number of the players who will feature against Coritiba — when he will have none of his international call-ups available.

There was no shortage of possession. But that dominance only turned into real pressure in the closing minutes, when goalkeeper Vidal was called into action.

Plata was the one who tried the most/stood out the most. De La Cruz had a good chance right at the start and, later, Evertton Araújo hit the post.

The atmosphere in the stands was already far from welcoming. And the boos took center stage before halftime.

Attempts and BH27 ON THEM!

Jardim’s first substitutions came 15 minutes into the second half, with Pedro and Pulgar.

Ten minutes later came more attempts: Paquetá and Samu Lino.

Flamengo improved.

They kept creating and wasting chances.

Until captain Bruno Henrique showed up twice in less than five minutes (80' and 84') to wipe out the tension at the Maracanã. 

There was still time for Lucas Paquetá  to add another from the penalty spot (90'). 

The introduction of the starters made all the difference. 

📊 Standings and schedule 📅

Flamengo moved up to 16 points with a goal difference of 12.

They now await the results of Rosario Central (13 points and a goal difference of nine) and Rivadavia (13 points and a goal difference of seven).

Both will play this Wednesday (27) against Del Valle and Bolívar, respectively. 

The team with the best record in the group stage will have home advantage through a possible semifinal.

The second spot in the group went to Estudiantes, who beat Independiente Medellín 1-0.

And the Colombian side heads to the Sudamericana playoffs.

Rubro-Negro will play again on Saturday (30), when they host Coritiba already without all of their international call-ups.

It will be the last match before the break for the World Cup. 

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

📸 MAURO PIMENTEL - AFP or licensors