Paquetá shines as Flamengo beat Cruzeiro 2-0, defence wobbles | OneFootball

Lucas Paquetá was Flamengo’s standout in a 2-0 win over Cruzeiro, though the back line produced a few scares.

According to Globo.com, Léo Ortiz struck the bar in the early exchanges and Pedro lashed in a superb opener on four minutes. Goalkeeper Rossi stayed composed under late pressure.

Paquetá operated centrally alongside Arrascaeta, looked more at ease and knitted attacks, even attempting an overhead that drifted wide. Arrascaeta was busy and forced a fine save from Cássio, as did Erick Pulgar with a long-range effort.

Emerson Royal gave Flamengo thrust down the right before being withdrawn, while Varela arrived later to help lock things down. Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro had shaky moments, and Everton struggled before departing.

Carrascal replaced Paquetá, initially off the pace and wasteful, then swept in a brilliant second after a slick run by Samuel Lino. Wallace Yan almost added another in stoppage time but could not connect.

Head coach Leonardo Jardim earned credit for a reshaped set-up that suited Paquetá and injected more attacking volume after the Fla-Flu. It also showed the first signs of his stamp on the side.

Source: Globo.com