Mengão took the field, the sun shining brightly in a clear sky, the stadium packed with red-and-black fans. São Paulo woke up with a true Rio de Janeiro flair to watch Mengão play. The fans who woke up early this beautiful Sunday to watch the game at Pacaembu Stadium started the day in the best possible way—with a victory for the Mais Querido (Most Beloved). Goals from Willian Arão and Diego earned three more points in the Brasileirão, keeping the club close to the leader, just one point off the top of the table.

Pressure was Flamengo's name in the opening minutes, both in marking the opponent's ball out and offensively, with Damião, Éverton, and Gabriel causing problems inside the box. There was even a defender enjoying a striker's turn: in the 11th minute, Rafael Vaz unleashed a bomb from outside the box, and the ball skimmed Gatito Fernández's left post. In the 15th minute, Arão fed Diego with a perfect first-time pass, almost opening the scoring with a cross-shot, drawing gasps from the crowd, who were not sparing their vocal cords at Pacaembu. The fans in the stands were stirred once again when the number 35 returned Arão's favor, feeding the midfielder at the edge of the box with a beautiful shot that narrowly went over the crossbar.

In the 30th minute, Damião's penalty kick ended up in the hands of the Alvinegro goalkeeper. But to the relief of the red-and-blacks, the net soon shook, in a play that rewarded the versatility of two defensive players. Vaz, who had already attempted a good shot, this time played as a waiter for Willian Arão; the midfielder arrived as a surprise, unmarked inside the box, and received the ball perfectly to finish beautifully with a header, unleashing the goal cry that had been stifled: 1-0 Mengão and a celebration at Flacaembu. At the end of the first half, the stats showed 74% possession for Zé Ricardo's men.

Undeterred, Flamengo returned to the second half at full throttle. Just four minutes in, Gatito was challenged on a counterattack led by Damião and finished by Diego. Soon after, the center forward himself had a great chance in front of goal, but misplaced the ball and ended up sending it over the bar. In the 11th minute, Réver's shot hit the post. The score was doubled in the 25th minute with Diego's penalty. Gatito hit the corner once more, but the ball flew past him and into the back of the net. Soon after, the 3-0 lead slipped past the opposing goalkeeper, who saved Vizeu's shot from close range. The Rubro-Negro's already undeniable superiority became numerical with the sending off of Marquinhos Pedroso. Summoned by TiteAlex Muralha made just one save in the entire match, in the 49th minute of the second half. In the end, the anthem blared loudly in the stadium, the score was 2-0, and the fans who packed the Paca stadium celebrated wildly.

This Wednesday, at 21:45 pm, Flamengo returns to the field for the round of 25 of the Copa Sudamericana. The match against Palestino-CHI will be at the Monumental de Santiago stadium, in Colo-Colo, Chile. For the Brasileirão, the team plays only next Sunday (16), at XNUMX pm, against Cruzeiro, at Klebão, in Cariacica-ES.