Having started the game with a two point advantage over second-place Boca Juniors, the Tricolor das Laranjeiras knew that a draw would be enough to make it into the knockout stages.
In the opening half, Fluminense dictated the majority of possession, and had two penalty claims waved away by the referee much to the disbelief of coach Abel Braga.
Nethertheless after the interval, the Rio side pressed the Zamora defence, and nearly managed to find the breakthrough, when Fred’s chip over the keeper was denied by Dolbyz Rodriguez.
With ten minutes left on the clock the game looked as if it was heading for a scoreless draw, before substitute Rafael Sobis curled home a free-kick which had taken a minor deflection off the wall on its way in.
Flu hung on for what was a far from pretty victory over the Venezuelan side, but a win which earned three points that see them rest at the top of Group 4 with maximum points from their four games thus far.
ZAMORA: Forero; Semperena, Bustamente, Galezo (Gabriel Torres), Dollbyz Rodríguez, Luis Vargas, Zambrano (Yanes), Oscar Noriega, César González, Zafra, Córdoba (Cesar Martínez)
FLUMINENSE: Diego Cavalieri; Bruno, Leandro Euzébio, Anderson, Carlinhos; Valencia, Diguinho, Deco, Thiago Neves (Lanzini), Wellington Nem (Rafael Sóbis); Fred (Rafael Moura)
