NORMAL! Pedro downs Fluminense, Flamengo go 2nd in Brasileirão | OneFootball

Flamengo dominated Fluminense, got a late scare, but came away with the win

It’s always been routine, but it’s worth repeating: WINNING FLA-FLU IS NORMAL! Flamengo once again beat Fluminense. This Sunday (12), the Most Beloved defeated their rival 2-1 in the 11th round of the Brasileirão. The star of the match was Pedro, who scored both goals.

With the result, Flamengo moved up to second place in the Brasileirão with 20 points. Fluminense itself stayed on 20 as well, but Mengo holds the edge on the tiebreaker. It’s important to point out that the Most Beloved has a game in hand.

HOW WAS THE FIRST HALF?

Flamengo came out flying, putting the opponent under pressure. In the third minute, Evertton Araújo tried a shot from outside the box. In the fifth minute, Fluminense suffered a hugely important loss. One of the team’s standouts, Lucho Acosta, took a hard ball to the head and couldn’t return to the derby, making way for Paulo Henrique Ganso.

In the sixth minute, things got even worse for Fluminense. Fábio made a poor pass playing out from the back, and then Samuel Lino managed to intercept it. The ball then fell to Pedro, who shot from a long way out. But the goal was empty. So all he had to do was hit the target, and the number 9 did just that. Mengão 1-0!

In the 13th minute, almost Flamengo’s second! Plata received it from the left, cut inside onto his right, and unleashed a rocket. The ball took a deflection on the way, but Fábio pulled off a miracle save with his feet. After that, the match continued with the Rubro-Negro on top, though without many big chances for either side. In Rio’s biggest club, Lucas Paquetá was the standout of the first half.

In the opening 45 minutes, Flamengo had 52% possession and took seven shots, compared to just three from Fluminense. The Most Beloved was well organized defensively and gave the opponent no openings.

HOW WAS THE SECOND HALF?

Flamengo missed the chance to kill off the game in the fourth minute. That’s because Pedro played a beautiful pass to Plata, who missed one-on-one. But the night belonged to the number 9. After an outside-of-the-foot cross from Samuel Lino, the striker chested it into the back of the net! Mengão 2-0!

It was all about Pedro. Nine minutes in, the top scorer even found the net after a Lucas Paquetá shot, but ‘Bolado’ was clearly offside. It’s worth mentioning that seconds earlier, the finisher had been denied by a good save from Fábio.

In the 16th minute, Rossi was finally called into action. Serna shot one-on-one, but the Argentine made an excellent save. On the field, the officials gave offside. However, if the ball had gone in, VAR would have reviewed it, since the TV replay was inconclusive.

Pedro wanted to request a song on Fantástico! After receiving a pass from Arrascaeta, the number 9 curled a right-footed shot. However, the ball cruelly hit the post in the 19th minute. In the 29th minute, Rossi was called into action again. After a cross into the box, Renê headed dangerously, but the goalkeeper saved it.

In the 30th minute, an unbelievable play. The ball was practically dead, but Alex Sandro tried to play it back to Rossi. The fullback misplaced the pass and left Savarino practically with an open goal to score. The Venezuelan made no mistake: 2-1.

In the closing stages, it was all Fluminense! In the 34th minute, Rodrigo Castillo played a beautiful pass to Savarino, who was one-on-one but shot wide. Castillo, who came on in the second half, showed up well again in the 41st minute. After a cross, the former Lanús (ARG) player headed over the bar. In stoppage time, Fla also went down to ten men, with Carrascal being sent off.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

In short, Flamengo returns to action in the Brasileirão next Sunday (19), against Bahia, once again at the Maracanã, starting at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time). Before that, however, the Most Beloved has a Copa Libertadores match. On Thursday (16), Mengo faces Independiente Medellín (COL), also in Rio, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time).

MATCH REPORT FLUMINENSE 1X2 FLAMENGO Competition: Brazilian Championship, 11th round Venue: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro Date: April 12, 2026 Goals: Pedro 6’/1st half, 5’/2nd half; Savarino 30’/2nd half

Fluminense: Fábio; Samuel Xavier, Jemmes, Freytes, Renê; Martinelli, Hércules and Lucho Acosta; Serna, Canobbio and John Kennedy. Coach: Luis Zubeldía.

Flamengo: Agustín Rossi, Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira, and Alex Sandro; Evertton Araújo, Lucas Paquetá and Arrascaeta; Gonzalo Plata, Samuel Lino and Pedro. Coach: Leonardo Jardim.

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