The fight continues. Flamengo achieved an excellent result on Friday night, defeating Corinthians 3-0 at Itaquerão stadium in the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship. All three goals were scored in the second half, two by Lucas Paquetá and the third by Renê, placing Flamengo in third place in the league. It was the second match with Dorival Júnior in charge of the team, who didn't let Corinthians play in their packed stadium, delivering a solid performance and showing they are still in the fight for the Brasileirão title. 

Without Diego, Diego Alves, and Henrique Dourado, Dorival didn't make many changes to the team, maintaining its essence. But the team's approach was to dominate their rival in their own half and not give them much space to attack. Possession, a hallmark of the team, was lower than Corinthians', but their finishing was much more effective. They had seven shots on target compared to Corinthians' three. The final result only highlighted which team sought victory more during the game. 

It was a match of contrasting halves. The first 45 minutes lacked excitement. Within 10 minutes, Vitinho had already forced Cássio into action, a scenario that repeated itself in the 17th minute with Paquetá. But with many misplaced passes, Flamengo struggled to create chances against Corinthians. From a set piece, Vitinho had a good opportunity in the 24th minute with a free kick that went just wide. Two minutes later, the same Vitinho received a pass from Everton Ribeiro and shot powerfully, but the ball went out. Before the end of the first half, there was a scare. Matheus Vital and Douglas had two consecutive chances to score, but César made two great saves, keeping the score at 0-0. 

After the break, Flamengo continued to play better and a goal seemed inevitable. Just five minutes in, Réver tested Cássio again, making his presence felt. At 14 minutes, there was no stopping them. Vitinho took a corner, Paquetá rose higher than everyone else and headed powerfully to open the scoring. What was already good got even better five minutes later. Another corner, Uribe flicked it on, the ball fell to Paquetá who unleashed a powerful shot to extend the lead. 

Corinthians were exhausted on the field, while Flamengo dominated. The Rubro-Negro simply passed the ball around and waited for time to run out when, in the 46th minute, Rodinei sprinted down the right flank and found Renê in the box. The full-back shot twice to score and seal the victory. A win in São Paulo, three points in the bag, and the team shows that the Brasileirão still has a lot of football left to play.