Cruzeiro stumble again, lose to Flamengo, still winless in Brasileiro | OneFootball

Cruzeiro stumbled again in the Brazilian Championship and extended its inconsistent run this season. On Wednesday night (11), the celestial team was defeated by Flamengo 2-0 at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro, in a match valid for the fifth round of Série A. The goals of the match were scored by Pedro, early in the game, and Carrascal, already in stoppage time of the second half.

The team led by Tite faced difficulties from the very first minutes, started the match at a slower pace than their opponent, and ended up being punished for mistakes, especially in playing out from the back. The game also marked the reunion of the team with its former coach, Leonardo Jardim, who came out on top tonight.

MATCH SUMMARY

The first half at Maracanã was very lively, with opportunities for both teams. Pushed by the crowd, Flamengo started pressing and managed to open the scoring early on. After Léo Ortiz hit the crossbar, the Rio team regained possession in the attacking third and Pedro scored at the four-minute mark. Shortly after, as Cruzeiro tried to play out from the back, Flamengo stole the ball again near the box and Arrascaeta almost doubled the lead.

As the minutes went by, Cruzeiro managed to reorganize and started to appear more in attack. The main chance for the celestial team came at 12 minutes, when Néiser Villarreal made a good play down the left and shot powerfully, forcing Rossi to make a good save.

Despite some attempts from both sides, the teams struggled to turn their attacks into truly dangerous chances. Near the end of the half, at the 30-minute mark, Matheus Henrique was sent off for a handball, but the referee overturned the red card after a VAR review.

In the second half, Flamengo remained more dangerous and continued to threaten Cruzeiro’s defense in the opening minutes. At six minutes, Arrascaeta found himself free on the right and shot for the corner, but Cássio made a great save and the ball even hit the post before going out for a corner. Shortly after, at eight minutes, Erick Pulgar took advantage of a loose ball at the edge of the area and shot with his left foot, forcing the Cruzeiro goalkeeper to make another important save.

Despite showing slight improvement as the second half went on, Cruzeiro struggled to turn possession into clear chances and barely forced Rossi into action. In stoppage time, as the celestial team pushed forward in search of an equalizer, they ended up leaving space for a quick counterattack. Carrascal seized the opportunity and chipped Matheus Cunha at the edge of the area, sealing the score at Maracanã.

Schedule and upcoming fixtures

With the negative result, Cruzeiro remains winless in the Brazilian Championship and stays in a delicate situation in the standings. The team has only two points from five rounds — a 13.3% point conversion rate — and occupies the second-to-last spot in the competition.

The celestial team still risks finishing the round in last place if Vasco beats Palmeiras this Thursday (12), at São Januário. Raposa’s next match will be against Vasco itself, on Sunday (15), at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, in another opportunity to try to bounce back in the tournament.

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