Arrascaeta extended his lead in the Brazilian Championship scoring charts and gave Flamengo the victory over Bahia this Saturday (10/5), at a packed Maracanã, in the Brazilian Championship.
With one less player in the final stretch, Flamengo did its homework and beat Bahia 1-0 this Saturday at Maracanã. With the result, the red-and-blacks reached 17 points and will sleep in the lead of the Brazilian Championship. Flamengo‘s winning goal came early in the first half, with Arrascaeta. Flamengo depends on a stumble by Palmeiras to end the round in the lead.
Verdão, in third place with 16 points, faces São Paulo this Sunday, at 5:30 pm (Brasília time), at Arena Barueri. Bahia remains with 12 points, in sixth place. In the next round, Flamengo will have the classic against Botafogo, on Sunday, at Maracanã. On the same day, Bahia will also play a derby against Vitória at Fonte Nova.
The game
Flamengo started the match by putting pressure on Bahia. The red-and-blacks almost opened the scoring after three minutes. Michael stole the ball from Mingo and crossed to Arrascaeta. The Uruguayan tried twice, but was stopped by Marcos Felipe. Then, Léo Pereira headed the ball against the crossbar.
The home team kept their composure and scored after seven minutes. Arrascaeta took advantage of a cross and headed the ball into the net.
The setback forced Bahia to try to attack the red-and-blacks. The visitors created a good chance with a shot by Rodrigo Nestor that went out of bounds. Then, it was Kayky’s turn to make a good play and finish, but Rossi made a good save. The scares made Flamengo improve in the match. However, the home team was unable to maintain the intensity of the first few minutes. Even so, the Rio de Janeiro team maintained the advantage on the scoreboard until halftime. In the second half, Bahia came back with a more offensive stance. However, the team from Bahia was struggling with the opposing team’s marking. Flamengo also tried to attack, but failed in the final pass. The home team managed to score with Luiz Araújo, but the move was disallowed due to the forward being offside.
In the final minutes, Bahia tried to launch an attack aiming for a draw. The visitors were left with one more player after Gerson was sent off, who received a red card for a strong tackle on Erick Pulga. Even so, Flamengo took advantage of a counterattack and almost scored with Luiz Araújo. The forward hit the post. With that, the home team maintained the result and left the field with the victory at Maracanã.
