Fluminense dominate, wobble, but beat Chapecoense late via John Kennedy | OneFootball

Fluminense beat Chapecoense 2-1 on Sunday night at the Maracanã in the 13th round of the Brazilian Championship. With a crowd of just 13,885 fans, Tricolor controlled most of the match, opened the scoring with Savarino from the penalty spot, conceded the equalizer in the second half, but secured the win with a John Kennedy goal in the closing minutes.

How did the match go?

First half

Fluminense started the match pressing Chapecoense at the Maracanã and created good chances in the opening minutes. Arana and Guga had dangerous attempts and forced the opposing goalkeeper into action. Tricolor mainly attacked down the right flank, with Guga and Canobbio playing key roles in getting forward.

With a stronger presence in attack, the team piled up shots throughout the first half. Savarino threatened with mid-range efforts, while Castillo also showed up in good moves inside the box. Despite the attacking volume and control of the match, the team struggled to turn its chances into goals.

The best chance came from a powerful Savarino strike from outside the box, saved by Chapecoense's goalkeeper. Superior throughout the first half, Fluminense went into the break with a huge advantage in shots — 19 to 4 — but still without breaking the deadlock.

Second half

Fluminense came back from halftime with a change: Serna made way for Soteldo. The team resumed the pressure from the opening minutes and, in the 11th minute, opened the scoring at the Maracanã. After a corner, the ball struck a Chapecoense defender's arm inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Savarino converted the spot kick to put Tricolor ahead.

After the goal, the pace of the match dropped for a few minutes. Then, in the 31st minute, in a game that seemed all but decided, they were punished: Ênio hit a beautiful shot to level the match.

After conceding, Luis Zubeldía made attacking changes, bringing on Ganso,John Kennedy and Alisson in place of Canobbio, Hércules and Bernal. Tricolor's pressure paid off in the 40th minute. In a move involving Soteldo and Alisson, John Kennedy received the ball inside the box and struck firmly with his left foot to score the second and seal Fluminense's victory.

What does it mean?

With the result, Fluminense move up to 26 points and sit in third place in the Brazilian Championship, behind only Flamengo and Palmeiras. Their Rio rival, however, still has a game in hand.

Fluminense return to action next Thursday against Bolívar, in the altitude of La Paz, in the third round of the Libertadores group stage.

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