Text size
Flamengo took the lead in the Brasileirao by defeating bottom team Atlético Goianiense 2-0 this Sunday and capitalizing on the previous day’s setback of Botafogo, which lost 3-0 against Cruzeiro and saw its rival catch up on points.
Next, the summary of the 20th round of the Brasileirao:
Flamengo, Fluminense, and Cruzeiro.
Flamengo did not waste the opportunity created by Botafogo’s defeat, and with a 2-0 victory against bottom team Atlético Goianiense, it matched them on points, but due to a better goal difference, they positioned themselves at the top, with one game less played.
The third consecutive victory for Flamengo had a standout player: the Uruguayan Giorgian De Arrascaeta, who shone once again for his club by assisting the first goal to Pedro and scoring the second.
Meanwhile, Fluminense, the reigning Libertadores champion, also secured its third consecutive victory and is getting closer to safety.
The victim this time was Bragantino (0-1), with a new goal from young Kauá Elías, who has now scored three times in four matches.
Fluminense’s resurgence coincides with the arrival of their major signing this season, veteran Thiago Silva: since his arrival, there have been three victories in three matches and no goals conceded for a Flu that is now just one point away from the safety zone.
Another team that shone this week is Cruzeiro, which overwhelmed Botafogo away (0-3).
The team from Belo Horizonte, with five victories in the last six matches, is in fifth place, five points from the lead, and giving the impression that they could be a major surprise in this Brasileirao.
Bahia and Internacional.
Both teams drew 1-1 this Saturday in Salvador and continue to drift away from the top spots, their goal at the start of the season.
Bahia, the City Group affiliate in Brazil, recorded its fourth match without a win this round.
The debut of young Uruguayan forward Luciano Rodríguez was not enough for the Tricolor Baiano, who seem to have fallen out of the title race, now eight points behind the leader.
On the other hand, Internacional has gone ten matches without a win across Braisleirao, Sudamericana, and Copa do Brasil, and has yet to secure a victory since Roger Machado took over the bench.
While they have five matches pending, Inter is in 14th place, 20 points from the lead and just two points above the relegation zone.
Botafogo and Palmeiras.
Two of the major title contenders stumbled dramatically this week.
Botafogo, which achieved a historic record in the first round by being the first team to score in all 19 matches, was left goalless in the first match of the second round, having been outclassed 0-3 by Cruzeiro.
This marked the second match without a win for a ‘Fogão’ that saw Sao Paulo draw 2-2 against them on Wednesday, thereby losing the lead to Flamengo.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras, the reigning champion of the Brasileirao, suffered its third defeat in the last four matches.
On Saturday, ‘Verdão’ was beaten at home by Vitoria (0-2), a team that is in the relegation zone and highlighted the poor form of a Palmeiras that is now facing Flamengo in the star matchup of the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil.
prb/cl