In the eighth round of the Brasileirão, Flamengo beat Cuiabá 2-0 on Thursday night (01), at Arena Pantanal. The goals for Rubro-Negro were scored by Pedro and Thiago Maia, who came on in the second half and sealed the Rubro-Negro triumph. With the result, Mais Querido added 12 points in the championship, with two games less, and is currently in sixth place, approaching the G4 of the competition.  

The game
Flamengo started the match dominating the action and attacked Cuiabá in search of the first goal, which came just nine minutes in. Vitinho stole the ball and passed it to Bruno Henrique, who found João Gomes inside the box. The midfielder controlled the ball, turned, and delivered a sweet pass for Pedro to tap in: 1-0.

The Mais Querido continued to pressure the home side and created a few opportunities. In the 26th minute, the ball fell to Bruno Henrique inside the box, who controlled it and shot with his left foot, but Walter made a good save.

In the final minute of the first half, Matheuzinho came down the right wing and, from the edge of the box, fired a powerful shot toward goal. The ball deflected off the defense and grazed the goalkeeper's left post. Mengão went into halftime with the lead.

Cuiabá came out more aggressive in the second half, threatening the Flamengo goal. But Flamengo responded in kind. On a counterattack, Vitinho shot down the right and struck a powerful shot from the edge of the box, but Walter made a good save.

With Diego and João Gomes out, Flamengo lost control of their midfield and struggled to string together attacks. In the 44th minute, Michael crossed from the right and Muniz headed firmly, but Walter made the save.

In stoppage time, Mengão doubled their lead! On a swift counterattack led by Rodrigo Muniz, who raced into the box with the ball under control. The striker passed it to Thiago Maia, who was unmarked and beat the goalkeeper, sealing the away victory for the red-and-blacks: 2-0.

Next appointment
The Most Beloved returns to the field next Sunday (04) to play the classic against Fluminense, at 16 pm, at Neo Química Arena, for the ninth round of the Brasileirão.

Flamengo lineup
Gabriel Batista; Matheuzinho, Willian Arão, Rodrigo Caio and Filipe Luis; Diego (Thiago Maia), João Gomes (Hugo Moura) and Vitinho (Max); Michael, Bruno Henrique and Pedro (R. Muniz).
Coach: Rogério Ceni.

Cuiabá lineup
Walter; Lucas Ramon (Camilo), Marllon, Paulão and Lucas Hernandez; Yuri, Rafael Gava (Uillian Correia), Clayson and Pepê; Jonathan Cafu (Danilo Gomes) and Elton (Felipe Marques).
Coach: Luiz Fernando Iubel.  

Technical sheet
Cuiabá 0x2 Flamengo – 8th Round of the Brazilian Championship
Location: Arena Pantanal, MT
Date: 01 / 07 / 2021
Referee: Rodolpho Toski Marques (PR)
Assistants: Fabrício Vilarinho da Silva (GO) and Sidmar dos Santos Meurer (PR)
Yellow cards: Diego (FLA), Bruno Henrique (FLA), Marllon (CUI), Rodinei (FLA), Vitinho (FLA), Clayson (CUI), Danilo Gomes (CUI) and Max (FLA).
Goals: Pedro (9'1st half) and Thiago Maia (46'2nd half).

Check out the goals from Mengão's victory: