In what was perhaps a fair result, Boavista and Flamengo played out to a 1-1 stalemate on Saturday night. The game was among the late fixtures in the sixth round of the Guanabara cup.
Against all odds, Boavista took the lead in the 23rd minute after a good team effort ended with Victor Jean breaking the deadlock.
However, the lead did not last long. Six minutes later, Vitinho was on par to score the equalizer for Fla, with the game then taking shape as expected.
Flamengo were the dominant side and put much pressure on the hosts, creating several chances to score. However, Boavista goalkeeper Klever had an inspired night and made some brilliant saves to keep his side in the game.
A big talking point for Flamengo was the return of star forward Gabigol for the 2021 season. That was his first outing of the campaign and he was not at his best, looking rusty and lacking match-fitness.
He had a particularly quiet first half and was closely marshaled by the Boavista defence. In the second half, he had some chances to score but could not make good use of them.
Regardless of the draw, Flamengo moved up to 13 points and remain leaders of the Guanabara Cup, although level on points with Volta Redonda. Boavista still have six points and remain in tenth place.
For their next outing, Rubro-Negro will take to the pitch next Wednesday when they travel to take on Bangu. Elsewhere, Boavista will take on Volta Redonda the next day.
