In a delayed game of the seventh round of Carioca, Flamengo beat Botafogo 1-0 this Wednesday (12), at Maracanã. With more possession throughout the game, the red-black team scored in the second half with Léo Ortiz. Now, Mengão will face Vasco in the next round.

It is worth noting that, with the victory in the classic, Mais Querido took the lead in the championship with 17 points, the same score as Volta Redonda, which is in second place due to having a lower goal difference.

The game
Flamengo started the match by taking the initiative, and less than a minute later, they created their first scoring chance. Arrascaeta delivered a beautiful pass to Juninho, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, the striker's shot went straight at the goalkeeper. Dominating possession, Flamengo dictated the pace of the match in the opening minutes.

In the 11th minute, Juninho fell to the ground and asked for a substitution. Bruno Henrique, Botafogo's tormentor, came on in his place. And the number 27 made his first good play in the 23rd minute. Bruno Henrique received the ball on the right wing, cut inside, and shot toward goal. The ball deflected and narrowly avoided going into the net.  

Despite dominating possession during the first half, Flamengo were unable to find the net and went into half-time with the score at 0-0.

In the second half, the Red-Blacks continued to control possession and exchange passes in the attacking half to try to penetrate the Black-and-Whites' box. In the ninth minute, Mengão opened the scoring at the Maracanã Stadium! Arrascaeta took a free kick into the box, Danilo headed it into the middle of the box, and Léo Ortiz finished it off: 1-0.

Immediately after the goal, Gerson and Erick Pulgar came on for De La Cruz and Cebolinha, respectively. The game's structure remained the same, with the red-and-black team controlling possession.

In a strong attack by Botafogo, Igor Jesus headed the ball toward goal, but Varela cleared it off the line, preventing an equalizer. In the final minutes, Flamengo controlled the play and left the field with their second victory over their rival this season.

After the final whistle, there was widespread confusion. Flamengo's Cleiton and Gerson, and Botafogo's Alexander Barboza, were each shown red cards. 

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Saturday (15) for the classic against Vasco, at 21:45 pm, at Maracanã, for the 10th round of the Campeonato Carioca.

Flamengo
Matheus Cunha; Wesley, Danilo, Leo Ortiz and Varela; Allan (Evertton Araújo), De La Cruz (Gerson) and Arrascaeta (Michael); Luiz Araújo, Everton Cebolinha (Erick Pulgar) and Juninho (Bruno Henrique).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Botafogo
John; Vitinho (Mateo Ponte), Danilo Barbosa, Alexander Barboza and Alex Telles (Cuiabano); Gregore (Patrick de Paula), Marlon Freitas and Allan (Newton); Matheus Martins (Rafael Lobato), Savarino and Igor Jesus.
Coach: Carlos Leiria.

Technical sheet
Flamengo 1x0 Botafogo – 7th Round of the Carioca Championship
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 12/02/2025 at 21:30 am
Arbitration: Bruno Mota Correia, Thiago Rosa de Oliveira Esposito and Hugo Filemon Soares Pinto
Yellow cards: Luiz Araújo (FLA), De La Cruz (FLA), Allan (FLA), Gregore (BOT), Marlon Freitas (BOT), Bruno Henrique (FLA) and Alexander Barboza (BOT)
Red cards: Cleiton (FLA), Gerson (FLA) and Alexander Barboza (BOT)
Goal: Léo Ortiz (9'2nd half).