In the opening match of the 2021 Carioca Championship, Flamengo beat Nova Iguaçu 1-0 on Tuesday night (02), at Maracanã. Max, who came on in the second half, scored a rare lucky shot into the top corner of the goal to score the winning goal for Flamengo in the last minute. It is worth noting that Flamengo is playing with its under-20 team in the first rounds of the State Championship.

The game
In the opening minutes of the first half, Flamengo valued possession in the attacking third, trying to find openings in Nova Iguaçu's defense. In the 13th minute, Thiaguinho attempted a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball was weak and the goalkeeper made the save.

The Flamengo team patiently passed the ball around and dominated the midfield. At 20 minutes, they created their first good chance. Ramon crossed into the box and the ball fell to Daniel Cabral, who shot first-time just wide of Luís Henrique's right post. The first half ended with the score level: 0-0.

The beloved team came back strong for the second half, and just three minutes in, almost opened the scoring. Matheuzinho took a long-range shot, forcing the goalkeeper to parry it away. At 21', Thiaguinho crossed into the area, the ball deflected off the Nova Iguaçu defense and almost went in.

After much persistence, Flamengo scored a fantastic goal in the last minute! Lázaro passed the ball to Max at the edge of the box, who volleyed it into the top left corner of the goal to seal the victory for Flamengo at the Maracanã: 1-0.

And now?
The Most Beloved returns to the field next Saturday (06) to face Macaé, at 18 pm, still without a defined location. The game is valid for the second round of the Carioca.

Flamengo lineup
Gabriel Batista; Matheuzinho, Noga, Natan and Ramon; João Gomes, Daniel Cabral (Max), Yuri (Mateus Lima) and Lázaro; Thiaguinho (Gabriel Barros) and Rodrigo Muniz.
Coach: Mauricio Souza.