Flamengo defeats Botafogo with authority and remains in the race for the national title

The 150th victory in history! In the classic played in the 28th round of the Brasileirão, Flamengo beat Botafogo 3-0 on Wednesday night (15), at Nilton Santos, and remains alive in the fight for the national title. Pedro, Luiz Araújo and Plata scored for Mengão, which has 58 points in the classification table and remains close behind the leader Palmeiras. 

The classic marked two historic milestones for the Mais Querido. The first was the 150th victory over the Alvinegro in the entire history of these meetings. The second was for striker Pedro, who reached the milestone of 300 appearances for the Manto Sagrado and 151 goals scored, tying him with Jarbas for seventh place among the club's all-time top scorers. 

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The game

With both teams needing a win, the match started off fiercely contested. After the first few minutes, Flamengo managed to maintain possession and exchanged passes in the attacking half. Botafogo, on the other hand, waited for opportunities to launch fast counterattacks. The first breakthrough came in the 16th minute. Emerson Royal crossed into the box, and Samuel Lino rose unmarked between the defenders to head the ball into Léo Linck's hands. 

Another dangerous opportunity for Flamengo came in the 25th minute, when Alex Sandro made a good run down the left, took the ball to the byline, and crossed perfectly for Luiz Araújo to head in. The ball sailed just wide of the goalkeeper's left post. In the 33rd minute, Luiz Araújo challenged Allan on the edge of the penalty area and was brought down. The referee listened to VAR and didn't even review the play. A clear penalty wasn't awarded!

On the next play, Mengão opened the scoring at Nilton Santos! Arrascaeta received the ball with his back to the net, spun around his marker, and passed it to Pedro at the edge of the box. The number 9 controlled the ball and fired a shot into the corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. It was the striker's 151st goal in 300 games for the Sacred Mantle. With that, Mengão went into halftime with a partial victory. 

In the second half, Botafogo had a clear chance early on through Arthur Cabral, who attempted a shot, but the ball went too high. Flamengo, in turn, continued to dominate possession and exchanged passes. In the 15th minute, Cebolinha and Pulgar came on for Lino and Evertton Araujo, respectively. After three months recovering from an injury, the Chilean returns to the field. 

Mengão extended their lead in the 24th minute to give them a breathing room. Cebolinha, on the left, passed to Pedro in the half-moon, who controlled the ball and delivered a beautiful pass to Luiz Araújo. The number 7 overtook him on the right and fired a cross-shot to make it 2-0. 

In the final stretch, the Mais Querido still had time to score a third. And the move came with the two players who had just come on. Carrascal pressured Cuiabano, got the ball, and crossed perfectly for Plata to head in. The ball hit the post before going in: 3-0. Before stoppage time, Michael still had a chance to score the fourth goal for the red-and-black team, but Marlon Freitas made the save in the six-yard box. 

The match at Nilton Santos ends with a crucial victory that keeps Mengão close to the leader Palmeiras. The teams face off next Sunday at Maracanã Stadium in a head-to-head match for the championship lead. 

Flamengo

Rossi; Emerson Royal, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Evertton Araujo (Erick Pulgar), Jorginho and Arrascaeta (Carrascal); Luiz Araujo, Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) (Michael) and Pedro (Plata). 
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Botafogo

Léo Linck; Mateo Ponte, Alexander Barboza, Marçal and Cuiabano; Allan, Marlon Freitas and Savarino (Joaquín Correa); Santi Rodríguez (Matheus Martins), Artur (Jeffinho) and Arthur Cabral (Chris Ramos).
Coach: Davide Ancelotti. 

Week's agenda

Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Sunday (19) to face Palmeiras, at 16 pm, at Maracanã, for the 29th round of the Brasileirão. 

Technical sheet

Botafogo 0x3 Flamengo – Brazilian Championship | 28th Round
Location: Nilton Santos Stadium, RJ
Date and time: 15/10/2025 at 19:30 am
Refereeing: Alex Gomes Stefano (RJ), Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa (RJ) and Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos (PR)
Yellow cards: Léo Pereira (FLA), Evertton Araujo (FLA), Emerson Royal (FLA), Santi Rodríguez (BOT), Marçal (BOT), Luiz Araújo (FLA), Marlon Freitas (BOT), Allan (BOT) and Léo Ortiz (FLA)
Goals: Pedro (39'1st half), Luiz Araújo (24'2nd half) and Plata (34'2nd half).