Today there's more Flamengo, and more Flamengo chasing the lead! And today is one of those games. Flamengo vs. Bahia, a match with a lot of history and interesting facts. You might not know it, but it's a REALLY big story. There's a knockout match, a rout, a double, and it also has a very special meaning for a very specific player. But before I tell you everything here, watch one more... BuzzFla that we have prepared for this match that could keep Mais Querido in the lead of the 2018 Brasileirão. Check it out. 

1. First, the numbers

Flamengo and Bahia have faced each other 84 times. There's a certain balance. Mengão has won 30 times, compared to theirs with 24, and 30 draws. In the Brazilian Championship, they've played 38 matches, with 13 wins for us and 10 for them, plus 15 draws. Playing at Maraca, there were eight opportunities, five wins for Flamengo, one for them, and two draws. The last match was a victory for us, with a spectacular double. Réver and Diego each scored twice in the 4-1 rout at Ilha do Urubu. Watch the goals on FlaTV's exclusive camera. 

2. In the year of the World Cup

In 1981, the clubs faced off in the round of 11 of the competition. The then-Brazilian champion and future World Champion took the field at the Maracanã on April 04, 1981, with Raul, Nei Dias, Luís Pereira, Marinho, and Junior. Tita, Zico, Adílio, and Fumanchu. Nunes and Vitor. After a 0-0 draw in Salvador, the match would determine the team's progress in the competition. And Nunes was inspired. The Top Scorer of the Finals scored twice and sealed qualification for the quarterfinals. Relive the goals below. 

3. The biggest defeat

On August 07, 2003, Flamengo and Bahia faced off at Maracanã for the Brazilian Championship, and Mengão swept the field. With a spectacular performance from Felipe and a hat-trick from Edílson, the team couldn't hold off the "Mais Querido" (Bahia's Favorite), who thrashed the Bahian team 6-0. The highlight was the fourth goal, scored by Rafael, a lob after a great pass from Felipe and a one-two with Igor. 

4. In the tetra there was also

A crucial match in the team's fourth national championship title in 1987 was against Bahia on November 11th. The red-and-black team was in danger of failing to qualify. The team was without Zico, with two wins, three draws, and three losses. It was either win it all or be eliminated. And with the return of the Galinho, that's exactly what happened. Victories over Palmeiras, Bahia, and Santa Cruz (the one with Zico's stunning free kick goal) and qualification was assured. In the match against Bahia, Zinho and Bebeto scored for Mengão. Two young players, full of aspirations, who only dreamed of the glorious careers they would have. 

In a packed Fonte Nova, both goals came in the second half. Zinho first pounced on a rebound from a corner kick and scored. Then, Bebeto went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, dribbled past him, and only missed the ball, and all because...

5. On the way to the first Copa do Brasil title

In 1990, Flamengo lifted its first Copa do Brasil trophy. And Bahia was a key player in this triumph. With the reinforcements from the World Cup in Italy (Zé Carlos and Renato Gaúcho) back, the first game was played at Fonte Nova on July 25th. Zinho scored in the 1-1 draw, a result that gave Rio the advantage. In the return match, just three days later, Zinho delivered a perfect cross for Aílton, who scored the only goal of the match, qualifying Mengão for the semifinals. The path to the title was clear. 

6. The biggest Flamengo x Bahia in history

On August 11, 1971, the world watched history being written. It was on this day, on the Fonte Nova pitch, that a goal paved the way for an epic run of titles and achievements unprecedented in the history of a Brazilian club. The 1-1 draw at the end doesn't quite capture the essence of the match. No one there knew they were witnessing the story of the Greatest of All. 

It was past 22 p.m. at Fonte Nova. Around thirty-five thousand fans were watching the match, which was 1-0 for the Tricolores, thanks to a penalty goal by Carlinhos. Six minutes into the second half, on a night that could be considered cold in the Bahia winter (around 19 degrees Celsius), Murilo launched the ball into the attack. Before defenders Zé Oto and Roberto could arrive, Zé Eduardo appeared and headed the ball to a young man darting down the right, unmarked. One touch to settle the ball, another to displace goalkeeper Renato, and that was the end of the line. Before Zico and After Zico. The young man was Galinho, who would do it in Fonte Nova, against Bahia, his first goal wearing the Flamengo shirt, playing as a professional. 

There's no video footage of this goal. It's only in the memories of those who saw it and in the stories that were told afterward. No one knew it, but on that August 11th, Bahia entered football history as a prominent supporting player in the Big Bang of an Era.