Flamengo counted on Pedro’s leading role to beat Palmeiras this Sunday (19), 3-2, at Maracanã, and intensify the title dispute in the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship. The two teams now have 61 points, with 28 of the 38 rounds played.
Owner of the best attack in the competition — 52 goals, the red and black team saw their number 9 score a goal, provide an assist and suffer the penalty that helped build the result. Arrascaeta and Jorginho also scored. Vitor Roque scored for the São Paulo team, which remains in the lead due to having more victories (19 to 18).
In this edition of the tournament, Flamengo led 16 of the 28 rounds and lost the lead in the 27th, precisely to Palmeiras.
This Sunday’s victory expanded the Rio club’s good recent record in the clash. In the last ten duels, there were four wins for Flamengo, four draws and only two wins for Palmeiras. In 2025, the rivals faced each other twice — and the Gávea team won both. In the first round, in São Paulo, the score was 2-0.
At Maracanã, Flamengo remains unbeaten against Palmeiras since December 2015, when the São Paulo team won 2-1, also in the Brazilian Championship. Since then, as home team, the red and black team has lost just once — at Mané Garrincha, in Brasília —, totaling five wins and four draws.
This Sunday’s triumph was achieved in the first half. Despite Palmeiras’ good start, Flamengo opened the scoring in its first attack: in the ninth minute, Arrascaeta received a pass from Pedro and finished without a chance for goalkeeper Carlos Miguel.
Rookie of the day, the former Corinthians player, back in Brazilian football after a spell in England, was a mere spectator in the initial stage, without making any save.
Palmeiras equalized in the 24th minute, with Vitor Roque heading in. But Flamengo went back ahead in the 42nd minute, when Jorginho converted the penalty conceded by Pedro. Three minutes later, it was the number 9’s turn to leave his mark after a quick plot by the red-black attack.
The second half was more truncated, and only in extra time did the net swing again, when defender Gustavo Gómez scored and was the second for the São Paulo team.
Palmeiras returns to the field next Thursday (23), against LDU, from Ecuador, in the first game of the Libertadores semifinal. For the Brazilian Championship, the team faces Cruzeiro on Sunday (26).
Flamengo, in turn, faces Racing, from Argentina, on Wednesday (22), in the semi-final of the continental tournament, and then faces Fortaleza, on Saturday (25), for Nacional.
