Palmeiras surprises Flamengo at Engenhão

The São Paulo team scores twice in the first half and wins 3-1 in Rio de Janeiro

By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in 25/09/2010 às 20:25

Flamengo failed to replicate their strong performances from recent matches and were ultimately stunned by Palmeiras at home at the Engenhão stadium this Saturday (25.09 September). The São Paulo team took a 2-0 lead in the first half and held on to their lead until the end of the match. Petkovic's penalty reduced the deficit, but Flamengo attempted a comeback, but Licoln finally scored the third goal for Palmeiras, making it 3-1.

With the result, Flamengo remains in fifteenth place, with 28 points, just three behind Avaí, who faces Ceará this Sunday (26.09) and is the first member of the relegation zone. The next challenge for Flamengo is on Tuesday (28.09), against Goiás, at Serra Dourada.

Palmeiras opens up an advantage
As expected, the match began with a lot of action, with both teams looking to attack. But Palmeiras began to shine thanks to their quick and skillful attacking duo, Valdívia and Kleber. It was from the Chilean's feet that, in the 18th minute, a precise pass came to Tinga, who was pulled back by David inside the box: a penalty. Kleber converted to open the scoring.

The goal didn't shake the Flamengo team, which continued to push for its own goal. But a final straw came in the 29th minute: Kleber received a good pass from Tinga, burst into the box, and scored to make it 2-0. Coach Silas then decided to make changes: he took off Juan and brought on Saba, making his professional debut. And in the 34th minute, Flamengo nearly pulled one back with a beautiful shot from outside the box by Renato. Deola, however, saved, and the team from Gávea had to leave the field trailing and to the sound of boos from the crowd.

Hope and fatal blow
At halftime, Silas made another change: he took off Toró and brought on Correa. But the team didn't show much improvement. Then, it was Petkovic's turn, the hero of the draw with Grêmio, to replace Renato in the 18th minute. Flamengo even managed to pull one back in the 31st minute, with a shot from Leonardo Moura inside the box, but the referee flagged for offside and disallowed the goal just as the nation was celebrating.

The red-and-black team never stopped searching for a goal for a single minute. Sometimes through sheer willpower, sometimes through the speed of its players, especially Leonardo Moura and Diogo, the team tried to scare Palmeiras, but the ball wouldn't go in on several occasions, such as in the 32nd minute, when Pet, Correa, and Diogo all had good chances in the same play. And it was from Diogo's feet, again, that the first red-and-black goal came. He was awarded a penalty that Pet converted in the 34th minute. The players cheered, the fans started cheering again, but it was Palmeiras who scored again, with Lincoln, closing out the game 3-1.

CREDITS:
\ FLAMENGO 1 X 3 PALMEIRAS
\
\ Stadium: Engenhão, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
\ Date/Time: 9/25/10 - 18:30 PM (Brasília)
\ Goal: Kleber (19'/1st Q and 29'/2nd Q) and Lincoln (44'/2nd Q); Petkovic (34'/2nd Q)
\ Yellow card: Flamengo: David (19'/1st half), Jean (39'/1st half); Palmeiras: Kleber (24'/1st half), Valdivia (15'/2nd half), Fabricio (24'/2nd half)
\ Referee: André Luiz de Freitas (GO)
\ Auxiliaries: Fabricio Vilarinho da Silva (GO) and Cristhian Passos Sorence (GO)
\
\ FLAMENGO: Marcelo Lomba, Léo Moura, David, Jean and Juan (Vitor Saba - \ 31'/1st half); Toró (Correa - half-time), Willians, Renato (Petkovic 19'/2nd half)\ and Kleberson; Diogo and Deivid. Technical: Silas.
\
\ PALM TREES: Deola, Vitor, Danilo, Fabricio and Gabriel Silva, Edinho, \ Marcos Assunção, Márcio Araújo (Rivaldo 42'/2nd half) and Tinga; Valdivia \ (Lincoln 35'/2nd half) and Kleber. Technical: Luis Felipe Scolari.