Fluminense secured the title of the Taça Guanabara, equivalent to the first phase of the Campeonato Carioca. This Saturday (5), Tricolor thrashed Resende 4-0, at the Raulino de Oliveira stadium, in Volta Redonda (RJ), for the tenth and penultimate round of the State Championship. Radio Nacional broadcast the match.
The 11th consecutive victory of the season took the team led by Abel Braga to 27 points, opening seven for the vice-leader Flamengo, who can reach a maximum of 26 points. With the leadership of the first phase guaranteed, the Laranjeiras team will face, in one of the semifinals, the fourth place, with the advantage of a tie in the aggregate score of the two games. Resende, in fifth place, with 12 points, has no more chances of passing the stage.
The triumph was basically built in the first half. A minute later, midfielder Nonato rolled to Jhon Arias, in the departure of goalkeeper Jefferson Luís. The attacker only had to complete for the nets. Three minutes later, midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso launched Arias in the area. The Colombian took Jefferson Luís out of the game and played for the steering wheel Martinelli to make the second for the Tricolor. At 37, Nonato received it from Ganso and submitted it. The ball deflected in the marking and left the reach of the goalkeeper of Resende.
In the final stage, already shouting “it’s champion” from the Fluminense crowd, the Laranjeiras team still scored the fourth goal. In the 13th minute, defender Samuel Xavier crossed from the right, forward Germán Cano broke through, but the ball deflected on defender Heitor and went to the net. At 37, striker Jeffinho hit the post, in Resende’s best chance. The final whistle kicked off the tricolor party on Raulino de Oliveira’s lawn.
Fluminense returns to the field on Wednesday (9), at 21:30 (Brasília time), for the third and final preliminary round of Libertadores. The match will be against Olímpia (Paraguay), at the Nilton Santos stadium, in Rio de Janeiro. For Carioca, Tricolor ends its participation in the first phase next Sunday (13), against Boavista, at the Elcyr Resende de Mendonça stadium, in Saquarema (RJ). On the same day, Resende visits Vasco in São Januário, in the capital.
