Felipe Melo cites Flamengo’s ‘chororô’ and defends Palmeiras player

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Coluna do Fla

·25 de maio de 2026

Felipe Melo cites Flamengo’s ‘chororô’ and defends Palmeiras player

Paulinho caused a stir during Flamengo vs Palmeiras match

Flamengo’s defeat to Palmeiras on Saturday (23) is still making headlines in the sports news. An idol of the São Paulo club, Felipe Melo commented on the altercation during the celebration of the third goal and thus came to the defense of Paulinho, the green-and-white striker.

I knew a player who scored a goal like that away from home, against a team called Besiktas, and peed on the corner flag. He used to imitate a pitbull. I’ve taken my shirt off before, had people invade the pitch... Guys, for the love of God, this is not inciting violence. And the Flamengo player (De la Cruz) was right to go after him there, that’s part of it. If it were a player from my team, if I scored a decisive goal like that, I’d also tell them to be quiet. Everyone is defending their own. It would be hypocrisy if, when the match ended, the guys came out fighting. The game ended and everyone is talking in this image. When Bruno Henrique did the ‘crybaby’ celebration against Botafogo, I laughed at home. I’m not defending anyone. I’m all for it. They say Paulinho stepped on the flag, that it was disrespectful and all that, but that’s football. Some may see it as disrespectful, others may not, and that’s fine. If I were on the pitch and someone scored and told my fans to shut up, I’d drag the guy out of there. It’s part of the game. I support both the people who pulled Paulinho away and what Paulinho did,” he concluded during a program on ‘SporTV’.

What happened with Paulinho?

Paulinho scored Palmeiras’ third goal in the match against Flamengo. During the celebration, the striker shushed the red-and-black fans, which did not sit well with Fla’s players. After a few minutes of confusion, however, things calmed down.

Vídeos OneFootball

How did the Flamengo vs Palmeiras match go?

Flamengo completely dominated Palmeiras in the first 20 minutes of the match. However, with one player fewer, the Rubro-Negro side could not maintain the same level and saw the opponent grow into the game. Then, in the 37th minute of the first half, Flaco López opened the scoring for the São Paulo team.

After halftime, Flamengo continued to struggle to control the game and saw Palmeiras extend the lead. In the 11th minute of the second half, Allan made it 2-0 after a mistake by Rossi, while Paulinho scored the third for the São Paulo side in stoppage time, at 49’.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Flamengo will now ‘turn the page’ and shift focus back to the Libertadores. This Tuesday (26), the Rubro-Negro face Cusco (PER) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã, in the final round of the tournament’s group stage.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match between Flamengo and Cusco through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, ESPN (pay TV) and Disney+ (streaming) will broadcast the Libertadores match.

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