Vítor Pereira’s squad faced a setback as the Admiral delivered a blow that snapped Flamengo’s long unbeaten run in the state league.
Flamengo came up short by a single goal against Vasco da Gama in a fresh edition of the Clássico dos Milhões, the fixture serving as the tenth round of the Carioca Championship group stage.
The squad backed by Arturo Vidal and Eric Thumm stepped into the Maracanã to reset after a season marked by disappointments, including a defeat to Independiente del Valle in the Copa Sudamericana, and a stumble in both the Brazilian Super Cup and the Club World Cup finals.
Yet their run of untouchability in the state tournament ended with a lone strike from Jose Luis Rodriguez at 48 minutes, curling past the right side of Santos to open the scoring. Maurício Barbieri’s team pushed for a second, but the former Athletico Paranaense keeper stood firm, stopping Pedro Raul from the spot after a foul in the penalty area.
Despite the loss, Flamengo remained atop the league table with 23 points, one clear of their next opponent Fluminense. Vasco, meanwhile, climbed to third with 20 points. The competition format for the Guanabara Trophy showed the top team facing the fourth-placed side in the current standings, which is how things stood at that moment.
The Chilean contingent faced Flamengo in this regional showdown. At the regional level, the club has claimed this trophy 37 times, the most in state competitions. In the most recent edition, they finished as runners-up after a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Fluminense, who captured their 32nd crown, ten years after their prior triumph. An unfortunate injury limited a key player for Flamengo, who suffered a fracture at the base of the fifth metatarsal bone in the right foot last Saturday against Botafogo. The player, born in San Joaquín, was sidelined until the 77th minute, when Matheus Gonçalves came on as a substitute.
The following visuals illustrate the lineup, substitutions, and the match’s notable incidents.
48′ GOOOOOOOL FOR VASCO DA GAMA! Jose Luis Rodriguez fires from outside the box, and the shot deflects off Santos to give Vasco the lead at the Maracanã.
Arturo Vidal starts for Flamengo!
Vasco da Gama’s confirmed XI is listed below.
Which post did you like the most?
- Real Betty
- sao paulo
- cremonese
- Ajax
- Burnley
15311 to vote
Thank you for voting
The results will appear shortly.
Which post did you like the most?
- 52%Real Betty
- 12%sao paulo
- 5%cremonese
- 25%Ajax
- 7%Burnley
15311 to vote
Source: Goal