Arturo Vidal came on at minute 66′, while the game tied 1-1. At 85′, Fluminense’s goal came that put the final 2-1 on the scoreboard and, with that, he took the opportunity to bury the hopes of champion of ” Mengao”. The classic was not without friction. Felipe Melo, who entered at minute 90′, was sent off at 92′ after going to look for the “King” to face him amid the tumult and shoving. Melo did not succeed, because between teammates and rivals they stopped him. However, the referee decided to penalize him with the maximum penalty for violent conduct.
The match was decisive, because with a draw, the red and black team was crowned champion of Taca-Guanabara, the first round of the Carioca Championship. The game ended up escaping Vidal’s box and with that, he adds a third unsuccessful final instance so far this year. The Brazilian Super Cup with Palmeiras in January, last week they lost the South American Recopa with Independiente del Valle and now this. Although it was not a lost final, another blow added to those already mentioned is the elimination in the semifinals suffered by Flamengo in the semifinals of the Club World Cup in February.
Everton opened the account and gave Flamengo the lead in the 19th minute, but the offensive force stopped there. A few minutes before the start of the second half, at 53′, Germán Cano brought equality to Fluminense. With almost 10 minutes to go, Gabriel Pirani scored the final goal to turn the game around.
The last minutes were typical of a classic. Time, struggles and shoving minutes from the final whistle. An altercation between players caused a riot, separations and discussions that led to yellow cards and a red one for Felipe Melo. The midfielder had only been on the field for two minutes, but in the altercation he went straight to face the “King” after the two-time American champion pushed a teammate of Melo. The violent attitude and the vehemence with which he addressed the Chilean national team were the reasons for deserving the red card, since Melo was unable to face the former Inter thanks to the intervention of players from both teams.
