With Jorge Jesus’ men already sitting in first place in Group A, they only needed a victory to take them to 28 points and out of reach mathematically by Fluminese who can only reach 27 points in all circumstances considered.
The Rubro-Negro took their opportunity by the neck and secured a convincing 2-0 win against Boavista who have now been eliminated from the competition.
Flamengo started the game with their full intention to win and had four chances on goal in the space of the first ten minutes.
Jorge Jesus was without top scorer Gabigol on the evening as the 23-year-old missed the game due to a muscle injury.
Pedro was called upon to replace the forward and took his chance properly. A head on flick from Gerson in the box found Pedro in front of goal who calmly slotted home. The goal came in the 36th minute. It was his fourth goal in 10 matches for Flamengo.
The second goal was scored in the 51st minute of the game in the second half. This time Gerson was the one who found himself on the scoresheet. A pass from Delgado fell to the front of the 23-year-old and he scored a screamer from around 25 yards out that gave the Boavista goalkeeper no chance at all.
The victory now means Flamengo can secure the state title with just two more victories should things play out their way.
Flamengo return to the pitch on Sunday as they take on their next opponent in the semifinal of the Rio Cup at Maracanã. However, they will need to wait until the end of Thursday to see who gets second place in Group B and would then face them on Sunday.
