The last game of the 17th round of the Brazilian Championship crowned Flamengo as the new leader of the competition. By defeating Atletico -MG 1-0 on Sunday (27), in Maracanã, Fla surpassed Cruzeiro – defeated by Ceará, early in Belo Horizonte – and reached 36 points in 16 matches played. The mining team has 34 in 17 games.
The goal of the victory of the team led by Filipe Luís was 30 minutes into the second half. Luiz Araújo took a free kick from the left and defender Leo Ortiz completed his head to score.
It was Flamengo’s 11th victory in the competition. The team has the best attack, with 30 goals scored and the best defense, with only six conceded. Atletico has 20 points and is in 13th place.
Cruzeiro takes turning from Ceará
In Belo Horizonte, Cruzeiro expected to extend the permanence in the championship lead, when receiving Ceará in bad phase, coming from three straight losses. The initial panorama was positive because – after three minutes – striker Kaio Jorge took advantage of goalkeeper Bruno Ferreira at the ball and scored his 13th goal in the championship, isolating himself even more in the artillery of the competition.
However, two Galeano head goals (one in the first half and the other in the final stage) decreed the turn of Vozão, which rose at 21 points, in the ninth position, frustrating the cruise plans.
Controversial expulsion in Inter x Vasco
At Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, the Internacional saved a point against Vasco by reaching a 1-1 draw in the second half with Johan Caronerro (the Rio team left at the 30th of the first half with Rayan). The Rio Grande do Sul team has 21 points in 10th place, while Vasco is the first team outside the relegation zone, in 16th, with 15 points.
The move that most caught the eye in the match, but was none of both goals. Shortly before the colorado draw, goalkeeper Leo Jardim, from Vasco, received the second yellow card and, consequently, the red card, after staying on the floor asking for medical attention, an attitude considered as wax by referee Flavio Rodrigues de Souza. The detail is that the first card received by the goalkeeper was also for delaying the restart of the match.
In the other two matches of Sunday, São Paulo defeated Fluminense 3-1 at Morumbis (goals of Arboleda, Ferreirinha and Tapia for Tricolor Paulista; Samuel Xavier scored to Carioca) and Bahia scored 3-0, with two goals by Jean Lucas and one of Lucho Rodriguez.
