The Classic of the Giants will define one of the finalists of the Carioca Championship. On Monday night (16), Fluminense defeated Bangu 3-1 at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro, in front of just over 20 thousand fans. The opponent in the State semifinals will be Vasco.
It is the tenth time this century that the rivals will face each other in a semi-final, be it national or state. The record is favorable to Cruzmaltino, who came out on top in six clashes, the most recent being in last year’s Copa do Brasil, when they won on penalties.
Tricolor reached the final on three occasions: Rio Cups in 2005 and 2008 and Carioca in 2017. As they have the best overall campaign in the State, the Laranjeiras club will be the home team for the second leg.
Fluminense defined the classification in the first half. In the 35th minute, full-back Guga crossed from the right, Jefferson Savarino received it from the left, in the area, adjusted it and shot to score his first goal for Tricolor.
Four minutes later, Savarino took a corner from the left, the defense cleared it and the ball was left at the edge of the area for fellow striker Agustín Canobbio to finish. The low shot deflected off the defense and went out of goalkeeper Bruno’s reach.
Tricolor did not slow down in the second stage. In the 28th minute, Fluminense hit the crossbar for the second time in the match, this time with striker Kevin Serna – in the first half, it was midfielder Facundo Bernal who was almost there, shortly after 2-0.
At 32, Santi Moreno was brought down in the area by Bruno. Penalty, which fellow midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, honored before the ball rolled with a plaque for having completed 300 games wearing the tricolor shirt, did not waste.
Bangu managed to score two minutes later. Defender Juan Freytes made a mistake and full-back Ricardo Sena took advantage, hitting goalkeeper Fábio’s corner. Nothing, however, that changed the course of the match. So much so that the team led by Luís Zubeldia had several chances to extend the advantage, but Bruno’s defense prevented them. In the end, Fluminense 3 to 1.
The other semifinal will bring together Madureira and Flamengo. Tricolor Suburbano eliminated Boavista, while Rubro-Negro got the better of arch-rivals Botafogo. Due to having a worse campaign, the current Rio, Brazilian and Libertadores champion will be the home team for the first game. The clubs are waiting for the Rio de Janeiro Football Federation (Ferj) to announce the dates, times and locations of the clashes.
