Flamengo was defeated 1-0 by Ponte Preta on Monday night at the Moisés Lucarelli Stadium in Campinas, in the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. With the loss, the Red-Black team remains in seventh place with 39 points. The "Mais Querido" (The Most Beloved) will now have 10 days to prepare for the next match, the Fla-Flu match on October 12th at Maracanã.

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Reinaldo Rueda fielded a team with several changes due to the FIFA holiday, which left Guerrero, Trauco, and Cuéllar out. Berrío was suspended, and the coach opted to rest Juan and Everton. However, the team didn't suffer any slump, dominating the first half, with up to 64% possession, but with few shots on goal. 

The first half was rather lackluster, with few chances for either side. Flamengo only had one good opportunity in the 23rd minute, after a perfect cross from Renê found Arão free in the penalty area, but his header went wide. Ponte Preta kept Flamengo from playing, stopping their plays with fouls, some of them quite violent. Flamengo struggled to break down the Macaca defense, which practically pushed its entire team back to counterattack. As a result, the first half could only have ended in a 0-0 draw. 

The first three minutes of the second half were already much better than the previous 45. Right from the start, Lucca took a dangerous free kick, but Diego Alves palmed it away. Flamengo responded with Lucas Paquetá, who was one-on-one with Aranha, but shot over the bar. 

The home side came back stronger and opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Jean Patrick fired a shot from outside the box, out of reach of Diego Alves. Flamengo pushed forward in search of an equalizer. Rueda brought on Gabriel and Vinícius Júnior, but Ponte Preta had the best chance. In the 17th minute, the referee awarded a penalty for Réver on Lucca. The player himself took the shot, but Diego Alves fell well and saved it. 

The end of the game saw pressure on Ponte, but Flamengo had no clear opportunities and left the field defeated. 

Ponte Preta 1x0 Flamengo
Brazilian Championship - 02/10/2017