Mengão won in the so-called "early final" of the Brasileirão! With the teams fighting point by point for the title, Flamengo imposed itself at home and beat Palmeiras 3-2 on Sunday afternoon (19), at Maracanã, in the 29th round of the national competition. Arrascaeta, Jorginho and Pedro scored for Rubro-Negro, who now also has 61 points, the same score as Alviverde, who remains in the lead by having only one more victory in the championship. 

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The game

As expected, the match began with nerves on edge at the Maracanã, with numerous stoppages due to complaints. After the opening minutes, Mengão opened the scoring nine minutes in, to the delight of the nation. Rossi took a quick free kick to Pedro, who pivoted past Bruno Fuchs and passed it through to Arrascaeta. The number 10 went one-on-one with Carlos Miguel and slotted it into the corner to make it 1-0. It was the Uruguayan's 20th goal in 51 games this season.

When Flamengo was down to ten men, Palmeiras leveled the score with Vitor Roque: 1-1. It's worth noting that Léo Ortiz had to come off due to pain in his right ankle and the referee hadn't yet authorized the entry of Danilo, his replacement. 

In the closing stages of the first half, Emerson Royal passed to Pedro, who was brought down inside the box. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Jorginho stepped up to take the kick and, with his usual skill, simply displaced Carlos Miguel to put Mengão back in the lead: 2-1. 

And soon after, before stoppage time, Pedro doubled the lead for the Mais Querido. The number 9 stole the ball from Aníbal Moreno, and it fell to Arrascaeta, who released the center forward at speed. He fell one-on-one with the goalkeeper and struck hard for the third. End of the first half of a great game at Maracanã.  

In the second half, Palmeiras came back looking to attack in an attempt to reduce the deficit in the opening minutes. Gradually, the red-and-black team began to balance the game and also began to push forward. In the 15th minute, coach Filipe Luís made three substitutions. Saúl, Plata, and Carrascal came on in place of Erick Pulgar, Arrascaeta, and Samuel Lino. 

At the 18-minute mark, Carrascal lined up and was only stopped by a foul on the edge of the penalty area. Luiz Araújo's shot went over the wall, but the ball went up and out for a goal kick. With the lead already built, Flamengo didn't need to rush the game and waited to attack at the best moment. In stoppage time, Palmeiras pulled one back through Gustavo Gómez, who appeared as a surprise in the box to score. Shortly after the ball went out, the referee blew the full-time whistle.

A crucial victory for Mengão, who remain firmly in the hunt for their ninth national title. Filipe Luís's team totaled 61 points, the same as Palmeiras, who win the tiebreaker by having one more win. Also worth highlighting was Pedro's excellent performance, scoring a goal, winning a penalty, and assisting Arrascaeta to score. 

Flamengo

Rossi; Emerson Royal, Leo Ortiz (Danilo), Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Erick Pulgar (Saul), Jorginho and Arrascaeta (Plata); Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Carrascal) and Pedro (Bruno Henrique).
Coach: Filipe Luís. 

Palmeiras

Carlos Miguel; Khellven (Facundo Torres), Bruno Fuchs, Gustavo Gomez and Piquerez; Aníbal Moreno (Emiliano Martinez), Andreas Pereira (Raphael Veiga), Felipe Anderson (Ramón Sosa) and Mauricio (Allan); Flaco Lopez and Vitor Roque.
Coach: Abel Ferreira. 

Week's agenda

Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Wednesday (22) to face Racing, at 21:30 pm, for the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores semifinals.

Technical sheet

Flamengo 3x2 Palmeiras – Brazilian Championship | 29th Round
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Audience and income: 71.651 attendees / R$5.983.920,00
Date and time: 19/10/2025 at 16:XNUMX am
Refereeing: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (GO), Bruno Raphael Pires (GO) and Bruno Boschilia (PR)
Yellow cards: Erick Pulgar (FLA), Maurício (PAL), Alex Sandro (FLA), Gustavo Gómez (PAL), Carrascal (FLA)
Red card: Piquerez (PAL)
Goals: Arrascaeta (9'1st half), Vitor Roque (24'1st half), Jorginho (41'1st half), Pedro (44'1st half) and Gustavo Gómez (48'2nd half).