A winning debut! In the first leg of the Copa do Brasil Third Round, Flamengo defeated Botafogo-PB 1-0 on this May 1st holiday at Castelão Stadium in Maranhão. In his first appearance for the senior team, youngster Joshua came on late in the second half and showed his star quality by scoring the winning goal for Mengão in the final minutes of the match. With this result, the red-and-black team will have the advantage of a draw at Maracanã to advance to the next stage of the competition.  

The game
With a reserve team, Flamengo started the match pressing Botafogo-PB, trying to score early on. The first good chance came in the ninth minute. Luiz Araújo took a corner, Plata headed the ball at the near post, and the goalkeeper made the save. In the next play, Allan found a good pass to Michael, who dribbled past the defense and fired a shot. The ball sailed just past the goalkeeper's left corner. 

The red-and-black team completely controlled possession, reaching nearly 80%, and exchanged passes with ease in the attacking half. In the 29th minute, Mengão's attack saw another strong move. Luiz Araújo ran through the middle and passed to Michael on the left. He carried the ball inside and passed to Bruno Henrique, who fired a left-footed shot. The goalkeeper rebounded, and Luiz Araújo attempted a sliding tackle, but the ball went over the goal. 

In the 35th minute, Bruno Henrique made a great play on the right side of the box and rolled the ball into the middle. Michael, unmarked, arrived with a first-time shot, and the ball skimmed the post. With much more play and chances created, Flamengo narrowly missed out on the lead going into halftime. 

Flamengo returned for the second half the same way they ended the first: pressing their opponents. In the seventh minute, Plata crossed into the box, Botafogo's defense cleared it, and the ball fell to Evertton Araújo, who headed it into the corner, but the defender cleared it off the line. Another opportunity arose in the 16th minute. Plata passed the ball to Allan, who took a shot from outside the box. The goalkeeper rebounded, and Bruno Henrique attempted a shot but was blocked again by the number 1. 

Before the 30th minute, coach Filipe Luís made three substitutions in a row to improve the team's creative output. Cebolinha, Gerson, and Matheus Gonçalves came on for Bruno Henrique, Evertton Araújo, and Luiz Araújo. Rubro-Negro created yet another chance, but it wasted in the 31st minute. Matheus passed to Varela, who was free on the right wing; he sent a low cross into the box, but Juninho missed the target. 

In the final stretch, young Joshua came on to make his professional debut and showed his brilliance. Ayrton Lucas crossed for Juninho to head in, Michael made a great save, and on the rebound, Joshua finished into the net, scoring the winning goal for Mengão. With this result, Mengão will play with the advantage of a draw in Rio de Janeiro to advance to the round of 16. 

Flamengo
Matheus Cunha; Varela, João Victor, Danilo and Ayrton Lucas; Allan, Evertton Araujo (Gerson) and Luiz Araujo (Matheus Gonçalves); Michael (Juninho), Plata (Joshua) and Bruno Henrique (Everton Cebolinha).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Botafogo-PB
Michael; Erick, Reniê, Marcelo Augusto and Evandro; Gama, JP Iseppe (Igor Maduro) and Guilherme Santos (Camilo); Gabriel Honório (Denilson), Henrique Dourado (Silvinho) and Rodrigo Alves (Rafinha). 
Coach: Antonio Carlos Zago. 

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Sunday (4) to face Cruzeiro, at 18:30 pm, at Mineirão, for the seventh round of the Brasileirão. 

Technical sheet
Botafogo-PB 0x1 Flamengo – Copa do Brasil | Third Phase First Round
Location: Castelão Stadium, São Luís (MA)
Date and time: 01/05/2025 at 20:XNUMX am
Refereeing: João Vitor Gobi (SP), Nailton Junior de Sousa Oliveira (CE) and Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro da Costa (SP)
Yellow cards: Marcelo Augusto (BOT) and Allan (FLA)
Goal: Joshua (39'2nd half).

#GAMEOVER AT CASTELÃO! 1-0 Mengão with a goal from debutant Joshua! pic.twitter.com/nTQQhKB0pQ

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) May 2, 2025