Fluminense takes advantage of Rossi’s mistake, beats Flamengo, and gives relief to Palmeiras

Fluminense disrupted the plans of their rival Flamengo in the Brasileirão and won the classic at Maracanã, 2-1. The tricolor goals came from Lucho Acosta and Kevin Serna, taking advantage of a mistake by Rossi. All in a terrible first half for Flamengo. Jorginho, from a penalty, scored in the second half, but it was too late. Flamengo complained about another penalty that was not called earlier. The defeat prevented Filipe Luís’ team from widening the lead in a round where Palmeiras drew at home with Vitória. The result reduced the gap between Fla and Palmeiras to two points: 71 to 69 with four rounds left in the championship. For Fluminense, the victory was crucial to keep the team in sixth place, chasing one of the direct spots in the group stage of the Libertadores. All this in a match with singer Dua Lipa in one of the Maracanã’s boxes. In the next round, Flamengo will face Red Bull Bragantino, Saturday, at Maracanã. Meanwhile, Fluminense will be Palmeiras’ opponent at Allianz Parque. Both matches will be at 9:30 pm. Effect of FIFA date: Flamengo felt the absence of the players called up for national teams and also those who were already dealing with injuries before the international window. Danilo and Alex Sandro went straight from the airport to the bench at Maracanã. Varela was another player lost to national team duty, starting from the bench. But Arrascaeta was not even called up. On the medical side, the good news was the presence of Jorginho, who came in the second half, while Léo Ortiz was still out for another game.