Fluminense dominate São Paulo, hold firm late on and win at the Maracanã | OneFootball

Fluminense defeated São Paulo 2-1 this Saturday at the Maracanã in the 16th round of the Brazilian Championship. John Kennedy and Canobbio scored for the Tricolor, while Dória pulled one back for the São Paulo side.The match began very cautiously, with little space for either team. But in the 19th minute, Fluminense opened the scoring. Canobbio broke down the left, entered the box, and sent a low cross for John Kennedy to arrive unmarked in the six-yard box and tap it into the net.From that point on, Fluminense took greater control of the match and pressed São Paulo’s buildup. Near the end of the first half, Dória misplaced a pass close to the box, the Tricolor quickly won the ball back, and the move ended with Canobbio finishing to extend the lead at the Maracanã.In the second half, Fluminense felt the impact of Lucho Acosta and John Kennedy going off. With less intensity in attack, the Tricolor focused more on controlling possession and saw São Paulo grow into the game.In the 32nd minute, Fábio saved Fluminense with two consecutive stops. First, Ferreirinha received the ball free inside the box, miskicked his shot, and the ball fell to Luan, who unleashed a powerful close-range effort, but the goalkeeper made a great save. Right after that, Sabino glanced a header toward the top corner after a ball was lofted into the area, and Fábio came up big again to tip it away.Under São Paulo’s pressure, Fluminense eventually conceded from the second straight corner. The ball was sent into the box, Dória battled with Canobbio and managed to get a touch to cut the deficit. Shortly afterward, São Paulo also appealed for a penalty in a challenge between Serna and Artur inside the area, but Wilton Pereira Sampaio waved play on.

In the final minutes, Soteldo even found the net after a cross from Serna and a deflection by Castillo, but VAR ruled it out for offside by the Tricolor forward.With the win, Fluminense reached 30 points and moved closer to the top of the Brazilian Championship table, keeping the pressure on leaders Palmeiras and second-placed Flamengo.

Fluminense’s next match will be this Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Bolívar at the Maracanã in the Copa Libertadores.

Photo: Marcelo Gonçalves/FFC

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