Libertadores night at Maraca with victory for Mengão! In the first leg of the round of 2 of the continental competition, Flamengo beat Bolívar 0-15, this Thursday (XNUMX), and took the lead in the search for qualification to the quarterfinals. Luiz Araújo and Léo Pereira scored the red-black goals.

With this result, the Mais Querido will have an advantage in the second leg in La Paz. They could lose by up to one goal and still secure a spot in the next round of the Libertadores.

The game
Pushed by the Red-Black Nation, Flamengo began the match by pressing Bolívar in their own half. Just two minutes in, Luiz Araújo took a corner kick from the right, Erick Pulgar headed the ball to the near post, and the goalkeeper saved it. Attack against defense in the first few minutes of play, with the opponent positioned themselves deep to thwart the Red-Black attacks.

In the 10th minute, Flamengo created a great opportunity. Léo Pereira passed to Arrascaeta, who came face-to-face with the goalkeeper and shot straight at him. Gerson's shot went wide on the rebound. But the referee had already called offside. The Bolivian defense then cleared the ball poorly, and Gerson shot, but Lampe saved. Arrascaeta fired the ball toward goal, but Sagredo saved it on the line.

With ample possession, the Mais Querido continued to exchange passes in the attacking half, trying to find space in the opposing defense. And that happened in the 29th minute, when Mengão opened the scoring! In a beautiful triangle, Arrascaeta passed to Pedro, who controlled it on his chest and passed to Luiz Araújo. The number 7 came one-on-one with the goalkeeper and slotted it into the corner to make it 1-0.

Shortly after the red-and-black team scored, Pedro went one-on-one on the counterattack, gaining speed, but ended up hurting his hamstring. Gabi came on in his place. In the final play of the first half, De La Cruz got the ball at the edge of the box and passed it to Ayrton Lucas, who crossed to Léo Pereira's head. The goalkeeper made the save. A slim advantage in Flamengo's favor.

In the second half, the red-and-black team began to press Bolívar's ball out more, trying to force mistakes from their opponents. In the 9th minute, Ayrton Lucas arrived well on the byline and crossed into the box. Arrascaeta headed the ball down, but the ball bounced and hit the crossbar before going out.

In the 18th minute, Arrascaeta managed to prevent the ball from going out, dribbled past the defender, and sent a low cross to Gabi, who attempted a backheel but was blocked in the six-yard box. Flamengo continued to press forward. In the 30th minute, Ayrton Lucas crossed into the box and Carlinhos headed the ball, but Lampe made a great save.

Flamengo tried in every way to score a second goal, but couldn't break through Bolívar's block. After so much persistence, Mengão scored their second goal in the 44th minute! Luiz Araújo took a corner kick into the box, and Léo Pereira rose to head it home: 2-0. Game over at the Maracanã!

Rubro-Negro has the advantage of being able to lose by up to one goal at the altitude of La Paz and still qualify for the quarterfinals of the Libertadores.

Week's agenda
The Most Beloved returns to the field next Sunday (18) for the classic against Botafogo, at 18:30 pm, for the 23rd round of the Brasileirão.

Flamengo
Rossi; Varela (Wesley), Fabricio Bruno, Leo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Erick Pulgar (Carlinhos), De La Cruz and Arrascaeta; Gerson, Luiz Araújo and Pedro (Gabi).
Coach: Tite.

Bolívar
Lampe; Jesus Sagredo, Orihuela, Anderson Jesus and Jose Sagredo; Justiniano (Ervin Vaca), Saucedo and Ramiro Vaca; Oviedo, Bruno Savio (Granell) and Fabio Gomes (Yomar Rocha).
Coach: Flavio Robatto.

Technical sheet
Flamengo 2x0 Bolívar – First leg of the Round of XNUMX of the Copa Libertadores
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 15/08/2024 at 21:30 am
Audience and income: 65.381 / R$ 3.057.608,00
Arbitration: Wilmar Roldan (COL), Jhon Leon (COL) and David Fuentes (COL)
Yellow cards: Justiniano (BOL), Erick Pulgar (FLA) and De La Cruz (FLA)
Goals: Luiz Araújo (29'1st half) and Léo Pereira (44'2nd half).

GAME OVER AT MARACANÃ! MENGÃO BEATS BOLÍVAR 2-0 WITH GOALS FROM LUIZ ARAÚJO AND LÉO PEREIRA AND TAKES THE LEAD IN THE ROUND OF XNUMX OF THE CONMEBOL LIBERTADORES! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! #CRF #Let's Flamengo pic.twitter.com/qqFuUZxzE6

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 16, 2024