Flamengo draws with Palmeiras and maintains a four-point lead.
Marlos Moreno scores his first goal in the Flamengo jersey in front of a packed Maracanã stadium.
By Flamengo Communication - in
This Saturday's classic match had all the makings of defining the 2018 Brazilian Championship. Flamengo sought to reduce the four-point difference to one and close the gap on league leaders Palmeiras, their afternoon rivals. A victory for the São Paulo team would have made the situation very complicated. In the end, a draw at the Maracanã left everything the same. The 1-1 scoreline was entirely decided in the second half, with Dudu opening the scoring for Palmeiras and Marlos Moreno equalizing. The result doesn't define the competition, which remains wide open.
As expected, the game started intensely. Palmeiras came out determined to attack and not stay in their own half. Flamengo also wanted to take advantage of playing at home and the packed Maracanã to push their rival forward. Pressing hard, the São Paulo team reached the byline, but without creating major danger. The first good chance was indeed for Flamengo, with Vitinho, whose long-range shot hit the Palmeiras defense and deflected wide in the 14th minute.
The game cooled down. Flamengo put the ball on the ground and began to impose their passing game, slowing down the opponent's pace. The best chance came only in the 33rd minute. Vitinho sprinted down the left and passed into the six-yard box. Uribe arrived after the defender, who managed to clear.
With up to 70% possession, Flamengo was completely superior and dominated the field until the 35th minute, when part of the stadium lights went out. It took seven minutes for the referee to restart the game. The match became much more "electric." Flamengo launched a blitz on their rival. In the 44th minute, after a corner kick taken by Vitinho, Réver headed well, but Luan cleared, preventing a Flamengo goal. In the last minute, Palmeiras came close to scoring through Guerra, who forced César to make a great save. The referee had already called offside, but the fans present at the stadium celebrated the young goalkeeper's save enthusiastically. And the first half ended 0-0.
The second half started poorly. Just four minutes in, Dudu made a good play on the left and shot past César, opening the scoring. Flamengo sought the equalizer and sped up the game. Five minutes later, Paquetá received a pass from Everton Ribeiro and shot powerfully, but Weverton made a miraculous save, putting it out for a corner. Two minutes later, another great chance. Renê found Everton Ribeiro unmarked, but his shot was low and easy for the goalkeeper to save.
Dorival Junior called on Diego in the 15th minute to replace Willian Arão. The substitution gave the team more speed, and Marlos also replaced Vitinho in the 22nd minute. The striker created a great opportunity for Paquetá in his first play, but the defense cleared the shot that was heading straight for the goal.
But the ball was going in. And it did. Marlos changed the game. In a beautiful individual play, the striker equalized the game at 35 minutes and ended a long goal drought that had lasted two years. A minute later, fired up by the crowd, the same Marlos found Paquetá free in front of the goal, but the midfielder shot over the bar in the best chance of the entire match. It was a foul. The team couldn't score the winning goal and ended up leaving the field with a 1-1 draw. Now, the team turns its focus to another São Paulo team, São Paulo, on Sunday.