See you later, Brasileirão. Due to the World Cup, we'll be taking a break from the main national competition today. After this round, Mengão will spend a month at the top of the league, away from everyone, recovering and preparing for the resumption in July. But before that, there's a classic to close out the first half. 

Flamengo vs. Palmeiras (they're the home team, but the Buzz is ours) are the big game of the 12th round. With three points at the top of the table, Flamengo can open up a six-point lead over São Paulo and an 11-point lead over Palmeiras. Considering the first round of the second leg will be against São Paulo... can you imagine the magnitude of today's victory? But let's take it easy. There's still a lot to come.

Before all that, let's get to another BuzzFla special. Today, we're featuring historic matches against Palmeiras. Tune in. 

1. The biggest defeat

And we start the list with a great game. In the year of their first national title, the irresistible Mengão put six past Palmeiras at the Maracanã. Zico scored two, Tita also scored, Luisinho, and Nunes completed the list. It was a redemptive rout, paying off, with interest, a poor 79-100 result that cost the red-and-black team elimination from the Brazilian Championship. It was time for revenge. There were XNUMX people at the Maracanã that day. Tita was one of the match's key players, performing with great passion and determination to atone for the defeat. He demonstrated this by scoring twice and celebrating by waving goodbye to the São Paulo fans at the Maracanã. The game was settled, and the road to their first title was paved. 

2. It's the Pet, it's the Pet, it's the Pet

The 2009 sixth title had several unforgettable moments. But one will certainly be a special memory for the red-and-blacks. On October 18th, at the old Parque Antártica, the two teams faced off with eight rounds remaining. Palmeiras led with 54 points, while Flamengo had 45 and was fighting to qualify for the Libertadores group. It was up to Petkovic to turn the match around for the "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved). 

At 23, the Serbian dribbled past the Palmeiras defense, the organized fans, the entire Perdizes neighborhood and whoever else came his way to score a stunning goal and make it one to zero. 

The star wasn't satisfied. A stunning goal in the first half, an Olympic-quality one in the second. Why cross into the box if he could do it himself? And he went out and scored. Two-nil. No one believed it, but Mengão was coming. There were seven rounds left until the final that everyone knows...

3. IbSHOW

In 2008, Mengão had a strong run in the competition, finishing fifth, paving the way for their sixth title in 2009. This year's Flamengo-Palmeiras match was a special one for one player. Íbson, a Gávea native, was inspired on that November 16th, when on a sunny Rio afternoon, he scored three goals and was the man in the driving seat in the 5-2 victory. 

For the first goal, he collected a rebound from Marcelinho Paraíba's shot and finished without a chance for goalkeeper Marcos, turning the game around to 2-1. In the second half, just after 10 minutes, he received a precise pass from Kléberson and shot into the top corner, scoring a stunning goal. But the best was yet to come. Kléberson, once again, made the move and crossed for Íbson. The number seven made no mistake and sent in a backheel to score the fifth goal of the rout. 

With the result, Flamengo took third place in the table in that round. 

4. The victory that earned a title

In 1999, a Flamengo side with serious problems faced a Palmeiras team known as one of the best in Brazil and the best in the Americas. Continental champions, the team led by Luis Felipe Scolari had everything it needed to win the Mercosul Cup against a Flamengo side that had just lost its top scorer, Romário, and was made up of young players still learning the ropes of professional life. 

But there was one thing on that Maracanã pitch that Palmeiras didn't have: the Sacred Mantle. And it was with the Sacred Mantle that Flamengo won that match in front of just 13 people, as the stadium was under construction. If there wasn't pressure in the stands, there was the red-and-black spirit on the field. And it came with goals from Juan, Caio (twice), and Reinaldo, who beat their rivals 4-3, taking the advantage to São Paulo, where they tied 3-3 and took the continental cup, under the command of the late Carlinhos. 

Relive the goals below in the voice of Luciano do Valle. 

 

5. An essential game

In the 1987 campaign for the fourth World Cup, the Flamengo-Palmeiras first-round match was crucial. On November 07 of that year, the teams took to the field for a match that would determine their hopes in the competition. Flamengo needed a win to maintain its hopes of qualifying, and they were counting on home advantage to achieve this.

Coming off a loss to Atlético Mineiro, Mengão had entered a period of zero errors. Another defeat would have virtually doomed their title chances. But it never came. Renato Gaúcho and Aílton scored the goals in the second half for a 2-0 victory. 

Renato's goal was a true "Renato goal." The striker took the ball and charged at the Palmeiras defense. Determined to score, he ruthlessly took on whoever was in front of him until the final blow. Fueled by momentum, Flamengo kept up the pressure. Zico stepped up and crossed perfectly for Aílton, who headed the ball home, sealing the victory. It looked like a straightforward game, but it wasn't. That victory put Flamengo in contention for a spot in the next round. The rest is history... 

There's more today. Today, the classic will have another chapter. Let it be Red-Black, once again.