Mengão flying high! Flamengo beat Cusco 'on the hill' to lead Group A | OneFootball

Flamengo handled the thin air well and secured an excellent win against Cusco (PER)

With grit and the true face of Flamengo! Playing at 3,400 meters above sea level, Mengão pulled off a heroic win over Cusco (PER) in the opening round of Group A of the Copa Libertadores de América. In this Wednesday’s (08) clash at Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, in Cusco, Bruno Henrique scored the opener, and Arrascaeta added another to seal a 2-0 win.

With the result, Flamengo starts at the top of the group with three points. That’s because, in the other group match, Independiente Medellín (COL) and Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG) drew 1-1 in Colombia, also on Wednesday (08).

HOW WAS THE FIRST HALF?

The game’s first shot came from Flamengo. In the fourth minute, Carrascal drove through the middle and passed to Plata, who unleashed a rocket. But goalkeeper Díaz tipped it out for a corner. In the eighth minute, Paquetá tried from outside the box and sent it just wide of the post.

It was all Flamengo! In the 21st minute, Lucas Paquetá played a beautiful through ball to Bruno Henrique, who went one-on-one with the goalkeeper but couldn’t find the back of the net. Right after that, Cusco tried with Silva from outside the area, but Rossi pushed it out for a corner.

In the 35th minute, two good chances for Flamengo. From outside the box, Paquetá fired a powerful shot, but the goalkeeper parried it out for a corner. From the set piece, Carrascal picked out Bruno Henrique, but the No. 27 headed it wide.

Even at altitude, Flamengo controlled the first half well and barely suffered at all. O Mais Querido had eight shots, compared to five from the home side. In addition, Leonardo Jardim’s team had 60% possession in the opening half.

HOW WAS THE SECOND HALF?

Even with the wear and tear of the altitude, Flamengo made no changes at halftime. Just three minutes in, Ayrton Lucas hit a good right-footed shot, but the defense put it out for a corner. In the 14th minute, a moment of high drama.

After a Cusco attack, the referee initially pointed to the penalty spot after a shot struck Lucas Paquetá’s arm (which was tucked in). However, the officials went back and awarded a goal kick due to the origin of the play. From there, Flamengo broke quickly, Ayrton Lucas surged forward and crossed onto the head of Bruno Henrique, who headed it into the back of the net. Mengão 1-0 way up in the mountains!

But shortly after, a scare. In the 19th minute, Cusco sent a long ball forward and, in the next phase of play, Ruidías headed it into the net. However, VAR spotted a razor-thin offside at the start of the move and disallowed the goal.

In the 35th minute, Flamengo had two good chances, with shots from Plata inside the area and De La Cruz from distance. On the first, the defense blocked it. On the second, the goalkeeper parried it away. After that, the four-time South American champion tightened up and let the clock run to secure all three points.

There was still time for Arrascaeta, in the 46th minute, to put the game to bed. On a quick counterattack, the No. 10 passed to Luiz Araújo. The winger shot, the goalkeeper spilled it, and it fell kindly for the red-and-black idol, who headed it into the net.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Flamengo returns to action in the Copa Libertadores de América on Thursday (16), against Independiente Medellín (COL), at the Maracanã. Before that, however, O Mais Querido takes the field in the Brasileirão, at the same stadium. On Saturday (11), Mengão faces Fluminense in the 11th round, at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time).

MATCH SUMMARY CUSCO 0X2 FLAMENGO Competition: Copa Libertadores de América, first round Venue: Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Cusco, Peru Date: April 08, 2026 Goals: Bruno Henrique 14’/2nd half, Arrascaeta 46’/2nd half

Cusco: Díaz; Ruidías, Fuentes, Ampuero and Bolívar; Colitto, Soto, Valenzuela and Nicolás Silva; Carabajal and Callejo. Head coach: Alejandro Orfila.

Flamengo: Agustín Rossi; Emerson Royal, Danilo, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Evertton Araújo, De La Cruz and Lucas Paquetá; Gonzalo Plata, Carrascal and Bruno Henrique. Head coach: Leonardo Jardim.

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