After a break for the FIFA Date, Flamengo entered the field this Wednesday (20) and, in a comeback, beat Cuiabá 2-1, at Arena Pantanal, in the 34th round of the Brasileirão. In his professional debut, Guilherme scored the first and Matheus Gonçalves scored the second goal for the red-black team. With the result, Mengão added 62 points and remains in fourth place.   

The game
Less than a minute into the match, Flamengo created the first opportunity in a corner kick. Erick Pulgar passed to Michael, who backheeled the ball to Wesley. The full-back fired a well-placed shot, and the ball sailed just wide of the post.

The teams craved possession, with Gávea's team having the upper hand, trying to attack through passing. In the 23rd minute, Pulgar delivered a perfect cross for Michael to head into the top corner, but Walter stretched to palm it away. Five minutes later, Wesley took a shot from outside the box and forced another good save from the goalkeeper.

In the final minutes, the red-and-black team pressed for a goal before halftime. In the 44th minute, Bruno Henrique delivered a beautiful pass to Ayrton Lucas, who struck first time, the ball going wide. In stoppage time, Wesley unleashed a bomb from outside the box, and Walter made another good save. The first half ended goalless, but with the red-and-black team clearly superior.  
 
In the second half, Flamengo continued to prioritize possession in the attacking half, seeking space to create penetrating plays. Shortly after the 10th minute, Filipe Luís made his first two substitutions of the match: Matheus Gonçalves replaced Ayrton Lucas and young Guilherme replaced Alcaraz.

Despite the red-and-black dominance, Cuiabá ended up opening the scoring with Derik Lacerda, who outpaced the pace and fired a left-footed shot to make it 1-0. Cuiabá reacted immediately and leveled the score in the 16th minute. Bruno Henrique won the ball on the right, got to the baseline, and rolled it back. Guilherme, who had just come on, fired a powerful shot past Walter to make it 1-1. It was the youngster from Ninho's first professional goal.

Cuiabá managed to find the net again in the 26th minute, but VAR flagged Isidro Pitta for offside early in the play. The Red-Blacks pressed forward in the closing stages. In the 37th minute, Alex Sandro made a good run down the left and rolled the ball into the box. Evertton Araújo arrived to finish, and Walter saved the home side again.

Mengão persisted and went in search of the winning goal in stoppage time! Michael capitalized on Marllon's mistake, entered the box, and crossed for Matheus Gonçalves to score the second, turning the game around and sealing the red-and-black victory at Arena Pantanal.  

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Tuesday (26) to face Fortaleza, at 20 pm, at Arena Castelão, for the 35th round of the Brasileirão.

Flamengo
Rossi; Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Wesley, Erick Pulgar, Evertton Araújo, Alcaraz (Guilherme) and Ayrton Lucas (Matheus Gonçalves); Michael and Bruno Henrique (Cleiton).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Cuiabá
Walter; Marllon, Bruno Alves, Alan Empereur; Matheus Alexandre, Filipe Augusto (Lucas Mineiro), Fernando Sobral, Denilson (Isidro Pitta) and Ramon (David); Clayson (Gustavo Sauer) and Derik Lacerda (Jadson).
Coach: Bernardo Franco.

Technical sheet
Cuiabá 1x2 Flamengo – 34th Round of the Brazilian Championship
Location: Arena Pantanal
Date and time: 20/11/2024 at 19:XNUMX am
Referees: Edina Alves Batista (FIFA/SP), Marcelo Carvalho Van Gasse (SP) and Fabrini Bevilaqua Costa (FIFA/SP)
Yellow cards: Evertton Araújo (FLA), Lucas Mineiro (CUI) and Fabrício Bruno (FLA)
Goals: Derik Lacerda (13'2nd half), Guilherme (16'2nd half) and Matheus Gonçalves (47'2nd half).

END OF THE GAME AT ARENA PANTANAL! In a comeback, MENGÃO beats Cuiabá 2-1, in the Brasileirão! Goals from the young players Guilherme and Matheus Gonçalves! Let's go! #CRF #Let's Flamengo pic.twitter.com/J8P0yplyrU

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) November 21, 2024