On Saturday night (1), Flamengo beat Fortaleza 2-0 at Maracanã, in the 13th round of the Brasileirão. The goals for the red-black team were scored by Gabi and Arrascaeta. With another victory, Mengão reached 25 points and got closer to the leaders of the national competition.  

The game
Flamengo started the match valuing possession, exchanging passes from foot to foot. Fortaleza, on the other hand, positioned itself behind the midfield line, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

In the eighth minute, Lucero was brought down in the box by Thiago Maia, and the referee awarded a penalty. Pikachu stepped up to take the shot, and Matheus Cunha jumped in the left corner to make the save. The red-and-black goalkeeper shined, his name chanted by the nation!

Soon after, Mengão responded in kind and opened the scoring at Maraca! Arrascaeta crossed into the opponent's box, Gabigol challenged Tinga, and he finished first time into the net: 1-0. The number 10 scored his 150th goal for the Sacred Mantle.

Trailing, Fortaleza had to push forward more and created a few chances, but Matheus Cunha showed he was having an inspired day. Around the 30th minute, Léo Pereira felt pain in his left thigh and was replaced by David Luiz.

Another dangerous move occurred in the 33rd minute. Gerson received the ball deep on the left and crossed to Arrascaeta in the box. The Uruguayan shot low, but João Ricardo saved it, and the defense cleared it for a corner. After a strong first half, the Rubro-Negro went into the break with the advantage.

The Mais Querido returned for the second half with two changes: Pedro in place of Gabi, and Bruno Henrique in place of Everton Ribeiro. Five minutes in, the red-and-blacks narrowly missed their second goal. Gerson received the ball in the box and passed it back to Pedro, who fired a shot into the corner. João Ricardo, with his fingertips, cleared it for a corner.

With the score in their favor, the red-black team adopted the strategy of waiting for Fortaleza in the defensive field to launch counterattacks, mainly exploiting Bruno Henrique's speed on the left wing.

Until the 18th minute, Mengão extended the lead at Maraca! Ayrton Lucas went to the baseline and crossed into Fortaleza's box, the defense hesitated and the ball fell to Arrascaeta, who unleashed a bomb into the corner to bulge the net and give Mais Querido a more comfortable lead: 2-0.

In the final stretch, Sampaoli's team controlled possession in the attacking half and even created chances to extend their lead. With the victory, Mengão now has 25 points and remains close behind the Brasileirão leaders.

Next challenge
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Wednesday (5) to face Athletico-PR, at 21:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil.

Flamengo
Matheus Cunha; Wesley, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira (David Luiz) and Ayrton Lucas; Thiago Maia (Filipe Luis), Erick and Gerson; Arrascaeta (Victor Hugo), Everton Ribeiro (Bruno Henrique) and Gabi (Pedro).
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli.

Fortaleza
João Ricardo; Tinga (Dudu), Marcelo Benevenuto, Emanuel Brítez and Bruno Pacheco; Caio Alexandre (Romarinho), Zé Welison (Hercules), Yago Pikachu (Caleb), Pochettino (Lucas Crispim) and Thiago Galhardo; Lucero.
Coach: Vojvoda.

Technical sheet
Flamengo 2x0 Fortaleza - 13th Round of the Brazilian Championship
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 01/07/2023 at 18:30 pm
Refereeing: Savio Pereira de Sampaio (FIFA/DF), Bruno Boschilia (FIFA/PR) and Alex dos Santos (SC)
Yellow cards: Erick (FLA) and Bruno Henrique (FLA)
Goals: Gabi (13'1st half) and Arrascaeta (18'2nd half).

FFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMM TALK AT MARACA! MENGÃO WINS AGAIN! GABI AND ARRASCA SHOT THE NET AND HAVE THREE MORE POINTS IN THE ACCOUNT! GOOO ...#FLAxFOR #Let's Flamengo pic.twitter.com/HurGmm9Wqv

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) July 1, 2023