Fluminense defeated Flamengo 1-0 in the ninth round of the Brazilian Championship on Sunday afternoon at Neo Quimica Arena. Rogério Ceni’s team had more possession, particularly in the first half, but they wasted several opportunities to score.
Roger Machado made late changes to his team after a bad first half, and circumstances turned in his favour, with André scoring the game-winning goal in the 91st minute.
Fluminense had a dreadful first half in Sao Paulo. The few chances they created came from counterattacks.
The best chance came in the 21st minute, when a headed effort from Fred was saved by Diego Alves.
Flamengo were at ease in the game and showed no sign of being stunned by Tricolor. Suddenly, in the closing 20 minutes of the game, the game began to shift.
The introductions of Nenê, Lucca, and Luiz Henrique breathed new life into Flu, who began to take more risks in attack and came dangerously close to scoring on several occasions. With the support of the kids, the Tricolor team made the risks worthwhile by giving Fla more space. André entered the game in the 87th minute and, with his first touch of the ball, secured victory four minutes later.
Luiz Henrique, a 19-year-old defensive midfielder, made a superb move on the right flank and crossed low for the 19-year-old to score his first goal for Fluminense. Roger Machado’s day in Sao Paulo was salvaged by the youngsters’ tenacity.
Flamengo slipped to ninth position with 12 points after the loss, despite having two games in hand. The Rubro-negro team will meet Atlético-MG at Mineiro on Wednesday.
With the win, Fluminense moved up to seventh place with 13 points after gaining three points against their rival. Tricolor also has a game against Ceará on Wednesday, in Sao Januário.
