Mengão is on! With another stellar performance, the "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved) defeated São Paulo 5-1 this Sunday at Maracanã, reaching 21 points in the Brazilian Championship. They're now in sixth place. Bruno Henrique, with three goals, was the standout performer. Gustavo Henrique and Welington, with own goals, completed the red-and-black scoring. Arboleda scored São Paulo's only goal.

"I'm very happy to be able to score three goals. One would have been enough, but I scored four and they allowed three. The important thing is that the team plays well, with confidence, with joy. Flamengo is about joy, that's it. Today I was able to help with three goals. Flamengo is on a very good rise, we won't stop. This is our year to reach the end and achieve our goal," said Bruno Henrique.

 The game

The first half was evenly balanced. Good scoring chances were created by both sides, but the main ones fell to Mengão. Two of them came from Gabigol and one from Bruno Henrique. Goalkeeper Volpi saved them all. For São Paulo, Vitor Bueno had the best chance, but Diego Alves, with a magnificent save, prevented the goal. A very lively first half, but the score was 0-0.

In the second half, São Paulo's Mais Querido (Most Beloved) improved their performance but were caught out early on. In the second minute, Arboleda headed home a header for São Paulo. Nothing to discourage the Red-Blacks. In the ninth minute, Bruno Henrique began his show. He tied the game with a beautiful goal, but the referee disallowed it after a VAR review. He ruled it was a BH arm kick. 

In the 24th minute, it was time to make it count. Michael sent a short corner kick to De Arrascaeta. The Uruguayan star crossed and Bruno Henrique slotted it home: 1-1. The comeback came shortly thereafter, in the 27th minute. Bruno Henrique scored a stunning goal from outside the box. What a beautiful thing: 2-1.

In the 32nd minute, he scored again. De Arrascaeta took the corner kick into the box and Bruno Henrique scored a beautiful header: 3-1. A hat trick for the King of Classics and the right to request a song on Fantástico secured. 

And it didn't stop there. In the 40th minute, Vitinho took a free kick, Rodrigo Caio set it up, and Gustavo Henrique finished it into the net: 4-1 Mengão. In the 46th minute, Welington, an own goal, completed the score for Mais Querido: 5-1.

It was Flamengo's fourth victory in four games under coach Renato Gaúcho. They scored 15 goals and conceded only two. 

And now?

Flamengo returns to the field this Thursday, at 20 pm, at Maracanã, to face ABC, in the first game of the round of XNUMX of the Copa do Brasil.

Match report (Flamengo 5 x 1 São Paulo)

Flamengo: Diego Alves; Isla, Rodrigo Caio, Gustavo Henrique and Filipe Luis (Renê); Willian Arão, Diego (Thiago Maia), Everton Ribeiro (Michael) and Arrascaeta (Vitinho); Bruno Henrique and Gabigol (Pedro). Coach: Renato Gaucho

Sao Paulo: Thiago Volpi, Arboleda, Miranda and Bruno Alves; Welington, Liziero, Rodrigo Nestor (Igor Gomes), Gabriel Sara (Benítez) and Igor Vinícius; Marquinhos (Pablo) and Vitor Bueno (Rigoni). Coach: Hernán Crespo

GOALS: Arboleda, 2'/2nd half (0-1); Bruno Henrique, 24'/2nd half (1-1), 27'/2nd half (2-1) and 32'/2nd half (3-1); Gustavo Henrique, 40'/2nd half (4-1); Welington (own goal), 46'/2nd half (5-1)

Yellow cards: Rodrigo Caio, Willian Arão and Filipe Luis (FLAMENGO) / Reinaldo, Welington, Marquinhos, Rigoni, Igor Vinicius and Benítez (SAO PAULO)

Stadium: Maracanã, RJ

Referee: Felipe Fernandes de Lima (MG)

Assistants: Guilherme Dias Camilo (Fifa/MG) and Celso Luiz da Silva (MG)

Order date: 25/07/2021