Luan’s own goal and Pepe’s second half strike saw Flamengo record another win as the home side beat Palmeiras 2-0 on Thursday night.
Rubro-Negro imposed their authority right from the start of the game although the game could have taken a different turn. Willian had a clear goal scoring chance just after three minutes and should have given Palmeiras the early lead.
From that moment onwards, Flamengo had more ball possession and created more chances that saw them force two saves from Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton.
However, right before the break the home side got to the lead through an own goal from Luan following a defensive mishap from Verdão. Kuscevic failed to clear his lines properly and watched his cleared effort was deflected off Luan into the back of the net
After the break, the game was balanced and Palmeiras had more chances to draw level but still couldn’t get the ball on target. Gabriel Menino’s effort was way over the mark and didn’t threaten Flamengo goal.
Flamengo also upped their game in the second half and threatened the Verdão goal constantly. After several chances, they eventually got their second goal in the 83rd minute when Pepe scored following a back pass from Pedro via a corner kick.
Flamengo have now won two consecutive games and now sit in third place, four points behind league leaders Internacional with a game in hand.
Palmeiras still have their eyes on the Brazilian Championship but have now lost ground as their unbeaten run in the league came to an end. They are 5th on the table with 51 point after 30 games. However, they still have both finals of the Copa do Brasil and Libertadores to look up to in search of silverware.
For their next outing, Palmeiras will visit Ceará at Castelão on Sunday while Flamengo will travel to face Athletico-PR that same day.
