Flamengo loses to Cruzeiro at Mineirão and ends the round in second place in the Brazilian Championship

In Belo Horizonte, Flamengo was defeated by Cruzeiro 2-1 this Sunday (4), at Mineirão, in the seventh round of the Brasileirão. Arrascaeta scored the only goal for the red-black team in the match. Now, the Mais Querido turns the key and focuses on the clash with Central Córdoba, in Argentina, for the Libertadores. 

The game
In the opening minutes of the match, Flamengo valued possession, exchanging passes from the defensive half until they reached the attack. On the other hand, Cruzeiro struggled to get the ball out of the box, largely due to the team's strong marking. Until the 14th minute, the sky-blue team pressured Flamengo's ball out. Kaio Jorge was one-on-one with Léo Pereira, dribbled, and struck a powerful shot into the corner to open the scoring: 1-0. 

Cruzeiro responded quickly and nearly tied the game in the 17th minute. De La Cruz took a corner kick, Léo Ortiz headed it in, and Cássio jumped in the corner to make a great save, saving Cruzeiro. After the scare of conceding the goal, the red-and-black team regained control of possession and exchanged patient passes to try to create space in the opposing defense. 

Mengão leveled the score in the 43rd minute with a stunning goal from Gávea's number 10! Gerson laid the ball off gently for Arrascaeta to fire into the left corner of Cássio's net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance: 1-1. The first half ended in a draw at Mineirão. 

After halftime, the game slowed down, with both teams less aggressively marking and more studious. The first substitution for the red-and-black team was Bruno Henrique, replacing Cebolinha, who left the field with ankle pain. In the 11th minute, Gerson was released at the edge of the Cruzeiro box, battled with the defense, and passed to Pedro. The number 9 shot first time, and Cássio made the save. 

Around the 30th minute, Cruzeiro grew into the match and began to threaten Rossi's goal more, making two great saves to keep the score tied. In the 41st minute, Cruzeiro had a great opportunity to score the second. De La Cruz took a free kick into the box, Bruno Henrique headed it in, and Cássio made another great save. 

In stoppage time, the referee awarded a penalty to Cruzeiro. Gabi stepped up to take the kick, Rossi found the corner, and the number 9 scored on the rebound. The game ended in Belo Horizonte with a victory for Cruzeiro. It was Flamengo's first loss in the championship.  

Flamengo
Rossi; Wesley (Varela), Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Erick Pulgar, De La Cruz, Arrascaeta (Juninho) and Gerson (Gerson); Everton Cebolinha (Bruno Henrique) and Pedro (Michael).
Coach: Filipe Luís. 

Cruzeiro
Cassio; Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, Villalba and Kaiki Bruno; Lucas Silva, Lucas Romero, Christian, Matheus Pereira (Gabriel) and Wanderson (Eduardo); Kaio Jorge (Bolasie).
Coach: Leonardo Jardim. 

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Wednesday (7) to face Central Córdoba, at 21:30 pm, at the Único Madre de Ciudades stadium, in the fourth round of the Libertadores.

Technical sheet

Cruzeiro 2x1 Flamengo – Brazilian Championship | 7th Round
Location: Mineirão, Belo Horizonte-MG
Date and time: 04/05/2025 at 18:30 am
Refereeing: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (GO), Bruno Raphael Pires (GO) and Maira Mastella Moreira (RS)
Yellow cards: Lucas Romero (CRU), Christian (CRU), De La Cruz (FLA), Lucas Silva (CRU) and Villalba (CRU)
Goals: Kaio Jorge (14'1st half), Arrascaeta (43'1st half) and Gabriel Barbosa (51'2nd half).