Jardim shrugs off jeers, inspires magical Flamengo v Cruzeiro | OneFootball

With two victories in two games, Leonardo Jardim is marking an immaculate start to his 'adventure' as the head coach of Flamengo. After winning the Campeonato Carioca - victory over Fluminense in a penalty shootout - he led, in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, a 2-0 win over Cruzeiro at Maracanã.

The 'headline' match of the fifth round of the Brasileirão started in the best possible way for the team led by the former Sporting coach, who took the lead in the fifth minute, following a precise shot by Pedro. The 'final blow' came just eight minutes after the 90, from the feet of Jorge Carrascal.

The second goal, in fact, had the 'hand' of the Madeira native, as he brought on from the bench not only the goal scorer (replacing Lucas Paquetá in the 73rd minute) but also the player responsible for the assist, Samuel Lino, a former Gil Vicente player, at 65'.

It should be noted that, as expected, Leonardo Jardim was received in a hostile manner by Cruzeiro fans, a club he managed in the past year of 2025, and which he left, citing mental health reasons, returning to action merely three months later to succeed Filipe Luís at the helm of Mengão.

Flamengo now turns all its attention to the much-anticipated Carioca derby against Botafogo, which is scheduled to kick off at 23:30 (Continental Portugal time) next Saturday, March 14, at Engenhão. Cruzeiro, on the other hand, will return to Mineirão to face Vasco da Gama at the same time on Sunday.

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