Fluminense beat Operário, reach Copa do Brasil last 16 amid boos | OneFootball

On a cold night with a low turnout at the Maracanã (11,705 in attendance), Fluminense beat Operário-PR 2-1 and secured a place in the Copa do Brasil round of 16. Savarino, from the penalty spot, and Lucho Acosta scored for the Tricolor, while the Paraná side pulled one back in the second half through Felipe Augusto. After the final whistle, the Fluminense team was booed by its fans.

The match

First half

Fluminense started by putting pressure on Operário at the Maracanã and created the first good chance in less than a minute. John Kennedy played it out to Canobbio, who got his shot away and forced the opposing goalkeeper into a good save. Shortly after, the Tricolor did find the net through Lucho Acosta after a move down the right by Canobbio, but the play was ruled out for offside.

The early pressure paid off in the seventh minute. Lucho Acosta won the ball back in the attacking half and was brought down for a penalty inside the box. Savarino took it with class and opened the scoring for Fluminense. After the goal, the pace of the match dropped, with few clear chances for either side.

Even with the game slowing down, the Tricolor was clinical again late in the half. In the 37th minute, Nonato produced a lovely outside-of-the-foot pass for Lucho Acosta, who finished to extend the lead. In control of the match and with the opposition posing little threat to goalkeeper Fábio, Fluminense went into halftime leading 2-0.

Second half

Fluminense came back for the second half with a chance to increase the lead early on. In the fourth minute, the team was awarded another penalty, but John Kennedy wasted it by hitting the crossbar.

In the 17th minute, the referee initially sent off Lucho Acosta after a foul, but changed his decision after a review and showed only a yellow card. Operário began to grow into the game and threatened in the 23rd minute, when a shot went just wide of Fábio’s post. Right after that, in the 24th minute, coach Luis Zubeldía made his first changes, bringing on Ganso, Castillo, and Bernal.

Just when the match seemed under control, Operário cut the deficit in the 37th minute after a cross from the right and a close-range finish. Fluminense still gained a numerical advantage in the 42nd minute after an opposing player was sent off, and nearly added another right after with a header from Freytes and a dangerous long-range effort from Savarino, but the score remained unchanged.

What’s next?

With the win over Operário at the Maracanã, Fluminense books its place in the Copa do Brasil round of 16. The Tricolor now awaits the Copa do Brasil draw to find out its next opponent in the competition.

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