In a fiercely contested derby from the first minute to the last, Flamengo overcame two player injuries and a missed penalty in the first half to draw 1-1 with Vasco at Maracanã on Sunday night in the Brazilian Championship. Léo Moura scored the red-and-black goal in first-half stoppage time. With the result, the team moved up to thirteenth place in the competition.

The first 20 minutes were dramatic for Flamengo. In the second minute, the team took a corner from the left, Jorge Luiz blocked it with his right hand, and the referee didn't award a clear penalty. Six minutes later, Renato Augusto left the field with a muscle injury and was replaced by Paulo Sérgio.

In the 10th minute, Vasco took a corner from the left, Bruno came out poorly, got caught in the middle, and Leandro Amaral headed the ball into the empty net: 1-0. Ten minutes later, Paulo Sérgio fell awkwardly and was unable to continue on the field. With no other striker on the bench, Joel Santana brought on midfielder Léo Medeiros and moved Toró forward to play alongside Obina.

The two changes threw Flamengo's team into disarray and the reflection of the teams' form in the match was the fans' behavior in the stands: stunned, the red-and-black crowd watched the Vasco party on the other side.

On the field, however, Vasco didn't match their fans' enthusiasm. Apparently satisfied with the narrow lead, the team retreated and seemed to wait for the first half to end.

They missed a good opportunity to take advantage of Flamengo's momentary tactical disarray and ended up giving up space. Gradually, Flamengo found their feet on the field and missed two chances almost consecutively. In the 28th minute, Juan hit an indirect free kick into the wall inside the box. In the 30th minute, Cristian controlled the ball on the right edge of the box, advanced, and shot toward Silvio Luiz's left corner. He narrowly missed the target.

More than half an hour after opening the scoring, Vasco threatened again in the 41st minute. Fábio Luciano was released by Bruno almost at the edge of the Vasco box. He was fouled and hastily missed the shot, setting up a counterattack for the opponent. Conca received the ball in the box, turned, and shot, which Bruno saved beautifully. The goalkeeper would shine again two minutes later, when, out of position, he took two steps back and palmed away Perdigão's shot for a corner.

In stoppage time, the red-and-black team's redemption arrived. After Fábio Luciano's long ball into the box, the opposing defense failed, Silvio Luiz came out of goal poorly, and the ball fell to Léo Moura, who tapped it into the back of the net to tie the match.

The second half began with Vasco dominating the field. Just two minutes in, on a quick counterattack, Conca fired a shot into the top corner, forcing Bruno to make a spectacular save. In the tenth minute, Perdigão grabbed a rebound, and Bruno performed another miracle, palming the ball out for a corner with his fingertips.

Only after 15 minutes, including the first half, did Flamengo begin using their full-backs as wingers, and the improvement was immediate. In the 18th minute, Léo Moura crossed, and Silvio Luiz struggled to clear the ball, even colliding with Jorge Luiz. A minute later, it was Juan's turn to cross, but Ronaldo Angelim headed it into the hands of the Vasco goalkeeper.

The game was open and honest, and Vasco missed an incredible opportunity in the 22nd minute. In a counterattack, five Vasco players against three Flamengo players, Rubens Júnior made a poor pass, Leandro Amaral tried to correct it but didn't control the ball, and Flamengo was saved.

Immediately, he went on the attack and had three consecutive corners. In the most dangerous of them, Obina headed the ball, which deflected off Dudar in the 28th minute. Three minutes later, Conca was bold and, even close to the byline, took a free kick from the byline, which Bruno palmed away for a corner.

In the 36th minute, it was Silvio Luiz's turn to shine. In a quick counterattack, Obina found himself face-to-face with the Vasco goalkeeper, shot, and the goalkeeper deflected it with his right foot for a corner.

Even though they were tired, both teams continued to search for the winning goal, and the match, which started off dramatic, couldn't have had a more impressive ending. In the final play of the game, Wagner Diniz had the ball at his feet, facing the empty goal, and shot, hitting the head of striker Alan Kardec, his teammate. It wasn't supposed to end in anything other than a 1-1 draw.

FLAMENGO 1 x 1 VASCO

Location: Maracanã\ Referee: Marcelo de Lima Henrique\ Yellow cards: Juan and Toró (FLA); Jorge Luiz, Dudar, Júlio Santos, Wagner Diniz, Roberto Lopes and Perdigão\ Revenue / Attendance: R$ 725.757,00 / 49.495 paying and 56.992 present\ Goals: Leandro Amaral, at 10min and Léo Moura, at 47min of the first half.\

Flamengo\ Bruno, Leo Moura, Fabio Luciano, Ronaldo Angelim and Juan; Romulo, Jailton, Cristian and Toro; Renato Augusto (Paulo Sergio and later Leo Medeiros) and Obina\ Coach: Joel Santana\

Vasco\ Silvio Luiz, Dudar, Julio Santos and Jorge Luiz; Wagner Diniz, Roberto Lopes, Perdigão (Andrade), Dario Conca and Rubens Junior; Marcelinho (Alan Kardec) and Leandro Amaral\ Coach: Celso Roth\