Flamengo beat Corinthians late on to retake top spot in Brasileirão

Under heavy rain at a packed Maracanã, Flamengo beat Corinthians 2-1 this Sunday (13) in a match valid for round 27 of the 2026 Brasileirão.

Timão fielded a reserve side, with an eye on its Conmebol Libertadores match in midweek.

Rubro-Negro, which did not have that concern because it holds a good advantage in its international quarterfinal tie, went all out against the São Paulo side.

In that context, the first half was total Flamengo domination, as the team had more than 15 shots and forced goalkeeper Hugo Souza into at least six great saves.

After the break, however, that saying proved true: “constant dripping wears away the stone.”

Before the three-minute mark, goalkeeper Hugo Souza came out poorly trying to punch away a corner into the box, and Lucas Paquetá hit it hard to open the scoring.

Trailing on the scoreboard, coach Fernando Diniz sent on some starters, taking advantage of the greater physical wear on the red-and-black opponent.

Then Kaio César played a one-two to get into the box down the right and delivered a perfect cross for Gui Negão to level it.

However, Bruno Henrique came through once again.

Wildly celebrated by the Nação when he came on in the second half, the Flamengo idol latched onto Joaquín Freitas’s perfect cross from the left and headed home to seal Flamengo’s victory.

With its fourth straight win in the Brasileirão, Flamengo reached 57 points and reclaimed first place, leaving Palmeiras in second with 56 points.

Corinthians, now on a fifth straight defeat in the league, stayed on 32 points in 13th place — just four points above the relegation zone.

Timão returns to action next Wednesday (16), when it hosts Estudiantes at Neo Química Arena for the second leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals (first leg: 1-1).

Rubro-Negro, meanwhile, faces Independiente del Valle at the Maracanã on Thursday (17), holding the advantage of a 2-0 win in Ecuador.

The São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro sides could even meet again in the Libertadores semifinals if they knock out the Argentines and Ecuadorians.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.