Pedro came on at the end of the second half and scored the goal that helped Flamengo close the gap on Cruzeiro in the table.
This Sunday (July 20), in the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo saiu vitoriosa por 1-0 contra o Fluminense in a derby that lacked inspiration. The scorer of the red-and-black’s goal was Pedro – the center of controversy last week – in the final stretch of the duel.
With the victory, Flamengo reached 30 points and is in second place, three behind leader Cruzeiro (33). Fluminense, on the other hand, stagnated at 20 and dropped to ninth place. Next Sunday, the red-and-black team hosts Atlético at Maracanã, while the Tricolor Carioca visits São Paulo at Morumbis.
The pre-match already foreshadowed a different derby. For the red-and-black team, all eyes were on the bench, where Pedro was among those included after being the target of public reprimands from coach Filipe Luís and missing the last two games.
To make matters worse for Flamengo, Gonzalo Plata felt discomfort during the warm-up and was cut, making way for young Wallace Yan. Without Bruno Henrique (suspended) and other key players, the task was complex. At Fluminense, Renato Gaúcho surprised everyone. Without Cano (not on the roster) and the recently fired Arias, the coach made seven changes and deployed the team in a 3-5-2 formation, clearly intending to close down spaces and exploit counterattacks.
Flamengo vs. Fluminense: The Game
And the Tricolor strategy worked perfectly in the first half. What we saw at Maracanã was a tight game of poor technical quality. Flamengo had possession, dominated the field, but ran into a well-positioned Tricolor wall. Filipe Luís’s team moved the ball back and forth, but found no openings and, incredibly, went into halftime without a single shot on Fábio’s goal.
Fluminense, satisfied with the situation, defended well and only threatened with a long-range shot from Bernal, saved by Rossi, late in the first half. The second half began with the same slow pace. The game seemed doomed until, in the 26th minute, the central figure of the week entered the field. Pedro’s introduction changed the atmosphere. Flamengo now had a reference point in the box, someone to challenge the Tricolor defense. And the destined goal soon appeared.
In the 38th minute, in the best chance of the game so far, Juninho found a brilliant pass to the number 9. With a spectacular body dribble, Pedro left Freytes behind and shot with his left foot, only to be stopped by a brilliant save from Fábio. It was the warning. The goal was ripe. And it came the next minute. In the 39th minute, from a corner kick by Luiz Araújo, Léo Ortiz deflected the ball at the near post. The ball traveled to the far post, where Pedro, like a true center forward, stretched out and, with the tips of his toes, pushed it into the back of the net. A goal of grit, of positioning, of someone who knows where the ball will land. The solitary goal was enough.
Flamengo held on, secured the three hard-earned points, and remained in second place with 30 points, still chasing leaders Cruzeiro. For Fluminense, the frustration of a nearly perfect defensive plan collapsed in one play. For the Nation, there was the certainty that, even on difficult days, the star of a predestined striker can shine brighter and decide a classic.
