Flamengo striker Hernane destroyed Macae with four goals in a romp that put the Rio de Janeiro club three points clear at the top of the state championships after five games.
The 27 year-old, who bagged 36 times for his club in all competitions last year, kept up that fine form by netting a first-half hat trick before claiming a fourth after 53 minutes.
Flamengo last won the Campeonato Carioca in 2010 but have started this campaign with a flourish, leading the chasing pack on 13 points. Opponents Macae, by contrast, drop down to 13th place after this rout.
The only blemish on an otherwise perfect evening for Flamengo was a red card for recent signing Frickson Erazo, the Ecuador international getting his marching orders after 78 minutes.
