Flamengo defeats Boavista and secures early qualification for the Guanabara Cup semifinals
Rodrigo Caio scores his first goal with Manto on a night with more than 30 people in the stadium
By Flamengo Communication - in
A commanding victory and a spot in the semifinals secured. Flamengo defeated Boavista 3-1 on Tuesday night at Maracanã, qualifying early for the next stage of the Taça Guanabara. In front of more than 30 fans, Henrique Dourado (in the first half), Uribe, and Rodrigo Caio (both in the second half) scored the goals that secured the victory. Next Sunday, Mengão faces Cabofriense, also at Maracanã, at 17 p.m., in the final round.
With 10 points, the team needs just a draw on Sunday to finish top of Group C. If Cabofriense draws its match against Bangu on Thursday, first place will be assured. In the other group, Vasco leads with nine points, followed by Fluminense with seven.
The game
Flamengo refused to wait and attacked Boavista in the opening minutes. In the third minute, Gabriel exchanged passes with Trauco, who sent a low cross to Vitinho, but the shot went wide, rousing the crowd. The opposing team had serious trouble getting past the halfway line. Piris and Jean Lucas were closing down the attacking areas, compressing the team on their flank and limiting their chances of getting through.
The pace of the game, however, dropped, and there was only one dangerous play again after the technical timeout. First, Gabriel nearly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper, but the ball deflected and went out for a corner. Léo Duarte nearly converted the free kick with a diving header, his best chance yet.
The goal was only a matter of time, and it came. Flamengo's superiority was confirmed in the 39th minute. Vitinho was the first, with a shot that goalkeeper Rafael saved well. The ball fell to Dourado, who made no mistake and fired into the corner, with no chance of saving it. Flamengo took the lead. Two minutes later, Gabriel had a chance to extend his lead. The number nine received a beautiful pass from Arrascaeta, drew the defender to dribble, and fired a powerful shot, but Rafael saved it, and the first half ended like that.
The second half didn't start well. Boavista equalized after just four minutes. Arthur fired a shot from outside the box, out of César's reach. Flamengo quickly reacted to regain the pressure from the first half and put pressure on their rivals. De Arrascaeta and Gabriel had good chances to score the second. Abel took off Vitinho and brought on Bruno Henrique. On his first attempt, the player set up the Uruguayan Arrascaeta, who shot just wide of the net.
Abel made other changes, putting Everton Ribeiro on Jean Lucas and Fernando Uribe in Dourado's position. The Colombian did what was expected of him. In the 31st minute, Trauco made a good run down the left and crossed. The center forward was there to convert and put Flamengo back in front.
Flamengo were all hands on deck, and in the 38th minute, they nearly got their third. Bruno Henrique burst down the left and crossed to Gabriel, but the defense deflected it at the right moment, preventing a goal. But the ball was destined to go in, and it did. In the 43rd minute, Everton Ribeiro crossed and Rodrigo Caio saved, scoring his first goal for the Red and Black team, to close out the night for the red and black team.