With broad dominance, Flamengo defeats São Paulo and remains in the lead of the Brasileirão

In the return of the Brasileirão, Mengão remains the leader! On Saturday afternoon (12), Flamengo met the Nação Rubro-Negra again at Maracanã, had another great performance and beat São Paulo 2-0, in the 13th round of the national competition. In the second half, Luiz Araújo, who hit a beautiful shot from the edge of the area, and Wallace Yan, in stoppage time, scored the winning goals for Mais Querido. With another victory, Rubro-Negro remains at the top of the championship with 27 points.   

The game

Flamengo started the match imposing its rhythm and controlling possession in the attacking half. In the first good attack, Arrascaeta received a cross in the box and headed weakly. Rafael made the save. With complete control of possession, the red-and-black team exchanged passes to try to open up space in São Paulo's defense. 

In the 20th minute, Léo Ortiz received the ball in midfield and unleashed a powerful shot. Rafael deflected it with his fingertips, the ball hitting the post and rebounding behind the goalkeeper. Alan Franco appeared in the nick of time to collect the ball and clear the danger. The first goal for the red-and-black team was nearly scored. 

Throughout the first half, Flamengo continued to press São Paulo with high lines, forcing mistakes from the São Paulo team. In the 42nd minute, Léo Ortiz received the ball again at the edge of the box and fired a shot into the corner. Rafael stretched to prevent the goal. 

In stoppage time, Wesley received the ball at speed on the right, cut inside, and fired a shot with his left foot. Once again, Rafael jumped to the right corner to make a brilliant save. In the last minute, Plata missed a fantastic chance to open the scoring. Bruno Henrique raced down the left and crossed into the box for the Ecuadorian to tap in. The ball flew just wide of the goalkeeper's right post, drawing a cheer from the crowd. Mengão was the only one in the first half, but they failed to find the net. 

In the second half, early on, Ayrton Lucas and Enzo Díaz had a horrific shin-to-shin collision. The Flamengo full-back had to be substituted, and Varela took his place. It's worth noting that Alex Sandro also left the field early in the match due to injury. 

The red-and-blacks launched a blitz into the São Paulo box in the eleventh minute. Arrascaeta sent a corner kick to Léo Pereira's head, and the goalkeeper made another great save. Four minutes later, after much persistence, Mengão opened the scoring with a stunning goal! Luiz Araújo received the ball on the right side of the box and fired a finely tuned shot into the top corner, giving Rafael no chance. The Red-and-Black Nation was thrilled, celebrating at the Maracaibo: 1-0. 

As the game progressed, Flamengo slowed down a bit and began to attack only when necessary. São Paulo, on the other hand, tried to reach the red-and-black box, but struggled to create chances.

In the closing stages, Mengão continued to dominate possession in attack and were rewarded with a second goal in the final minute of stoppage time. Plata passed to Luiz Araújo on the right, who dribbled past his marker and fired a low shot. Rafael palmed the ball forward to the feet of the brilliant Wallace Yan, who fired a powerful shot into the net to seal Mengão's 2-0 victory.    

With the result, Flamengo remains top of the Brazilian league with 27 points and a game in hand. In the next round, Filipe Luís's team faces Santos away from home. 

Flamengo

Rossi; Wesley, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro (Ayrton Lucas); Jorginho (De La Cruz), Allan and Arrascaeta (Wallace Yan); Plata, Luiz Araújo and Bruno Henrique (Everton Cebolinha).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

São Paulo

Rafael; Alan Franco, Arboleda and Sabino; ​​Cedric Soares, Alisson, Marcos Antonio (Ferreira), Pablo Maia (Bobadilla), Oscar and Enzo Diaz; André Silva (Ryan Francisco).
Coach: Hernan Crespo. 

Agenda of the week

Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Wednesday (16) to face Santos, at 20 pm, at Vila Belmiro, for the 14th round of the Brasileirão.

Technical sheet

Flamengo 2x0 São Paulo – Brazilian Championship | 13th Round
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 12/07/2025 at 16:30 am
Refereeing: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (GO), Bruno Boschilia (PR) and Bruno Raphael Pires (GO)
Yellow cards: Sabino (SÃO), Alan Franco (SÃO) and Wallace Yan (FLA)
Goals: Luiz Araújo (15'2nd half) and Wallace Yan (50'2nd half).