In the classic of the 9th round of the Brasileirão, Flamengo drew with Botafogo 0-0 this Sunday (18), at Maracanã, and remains in second place with 18 points. Now, Rubro-Negro changes focus and will face Botafogo-PB, in the second leg of the Third Phase of the Copa do Brasil.  

For the Brasileirão, Mais Querido faces Palmeiras next Sunday (25), at Allianz Parque. 

The game
Flamengo started the match dominating possession, exchanging passes in the attacking half. Botafogo, on the other hand, struggled to break out of their own half. The early game was a study in the game, with the red-and-black team moving the ball from foot to foot, looking for space in the black-and-white defense to penetrate the box. 

In the 21st minute, Botafogo's defense misplayed the ball, and it fell to Luiz Araújo, who fired a first-time shot. The shot deflected, and John made a reflex save, saving the Alvinegro from conceding a goal. From the 30th minute onward, Botafogo stepped up their game and began to threaten Rossi's goal. With few chances created, the first half ended goalless.

Early in the second half, Evertton Araujo managed to deflect a corner kick into the box, but John made the save without rebounding. Around the 15th minute, coach Filipe Luís made his first changes to the team. Juninho replaced Pedro and Matheus Gonçalves replaced Bruno Henrique. Soon after, De La Cruz suffered an injury and was replaced by Danilo.

As the game progressed, Botafogo began to dominate the attack, circling the red-and-black box. Flamengo, on the other hand, struggled to connect plays and made some passing errors. In stoppage time, the ball remained live in the box, and Alex Sandro hit a cross, but the ball went just wide of the post. The game ended at Maracanã with a scoreless draw. 

Flamengo
Rossi; Wesley, Leo Ortiz (Varela), Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Evertton Araujo, De La Cruz (Danilo) and Luiz Araujo; Bruno Henrique (Matheus Gonçalves), Everton Cebolinha (Michael) and Pedro (Juninho). 
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Botafogo
John; Vitinho, Jair, David Ricardo (Marçal) and Alex Telles; Gregore, Marlon Freitas (Santiago Rodríguez) and Allan (Danilo Barbosa); Rwan Cruz (Nathan Fernandes), Cuiabano and Igor Jesus.
Coach: Renato Paiva. 

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Wednesday (21) to face Botafogo-PB, at 21:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the second leg of the Third Phase of the Copa do Brasil. 

Technical sheet
Flamengo 0x0 Botafogo – Brazilian Championship | 9th Round
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 18/05/2025 at 18:30 am
Refereeing: Bruno Arleu de Araujo (RJ), Luiz Claudio Regazone (RJ) and Thiago Henrique Neto Correa Farinha (RJ)
Yellow cards: Vitinho (BOT), Allan (BOT), Cuiabano (BOT), Marlon Freitas (BOT), Wesley (FLA) and Marçal (BOT).