On penalties, Fluminense knock out Referência and progress in the Copinha | OneFootball

Fluminense defeated Referência on penalties and secured a spot in the second knockout stage of the 2026 Copinha. The boys from Xerém had a good first half, but the team’s performance dropped in the second half. Isack Gabriel opened the scoring but saw the team from São Paulo equalize and take the match to penalties, where Gustavo Felix shone with a great save.

How the match went

The boys from Xerém started the match dominating Referência and taking control of the game. Just eight minutes in, Kaio Borges received the ball on the wing and crossed it for Isack Gabriel to head dangerously, forcing a save from goalkeeper Vini Alves. The tricolor side continued to play better but without creating any more clear chances. After the 35th minute, the São Paulo team started to play a bit better, pushing higher up the pitch and pressing Flu in their defensive half. Referência managed to create chances but were stopped by good saves from Gustavo Felix. In the 48th minute, the boys from Xerém broke quickly and Janderson crossed perfectly for Isack Gabriel to flick it in and open the scoring.

In the second half, the São Paulo team came back a bit stronger than the tricolor, pushing forward but without posing much threat to goalkeeper Gustavo Felix. The boys from Xerém improved as the half went on but couldn’t impose the same dominance they had in the first half. In the 22nd minute, Jhow received the ball in the box and fired it in to level the score.

With the score tied, the match became very balanced. Both teams started to create chances but without much danger, taking the decision to penalties.

In the shootout, Isack Gabriel, Kelwin, Gorgulho, Pedro Costa, and Fabinho scored for the tricolor, and Gustavo Felix made a great save to send the boys from Xerém through.

Next match

With their spot in the next round secured, the boys from Xerém will face Ituano. The date and time have yet to be set.

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