Flamengo beats Bahia at Maracanã with another goal from Arrascaeta

Playing at Maracanã, this Saturday (10) at night, Flamengo beat Bahia 1-0 in the eighth round of the Brasileirão, and provisionally took the lead in the championship. Arrascaeta scored the winning goal for the red-black team, the Uruguayan's seventh in the national competition, isolating himself in the top scorer's table. Mengão's next match will be on Thursday (15), against LDU, for the Libertadores.  

The game
In the opening moments of the match, Flamengo launched an attack seeking the first goal. The first good chance came in the third minute. Michael successfully stole the ball on the left and crossed into the box for Arrascaeta to shoot first time. Marcos Felipe made the save, and the Uruguayan sent the rebound wide. Then, after a corner, Bahia's defense tried to clear the ball, but Léo Ortiz headed it against the crossbar. 

The red-and-black pressure continued, and in the seventh minute, it paid off with another goal from the Brasileirão's top scorer! Michael made a good run down the left and crossed perfectly for Arrascaeta to head home, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance: 1-0. The Uruguayan has already found the net seven times in the national competition. 

Shortly after the goal, Allan suffered an injury and was replaced by Luiz Araújo. Gerson dropped back to second midfield, and the number 7 moved to right wing. The team continued with the same momentum, pushing Bahia back into their own half.

As time passed, the red-and-black team continued exchanging passes in the attacking half. When they lost possession, they moved up the lines to pressure Bahia's attack. In the final stretch of the first half, Erick Pulgar also felt discomfort in his right thigh and was replaced by Evertton Araújo. With complete control of the action, the Mais Querido went into halftime with a partial victory.

Flamengo returned for the second half without any further substitutions. In the seventh minute, Michael delivered a cross and Bruno Henrique headed it in, but Marcos Felipe made the save. Needing to score, Bahia came from behind and began attacking more frequently. Luiz Araújo even scored the second goal, but the linesman flagged offside, and VAR confirmed it. 

In the final minutes, Gerson received a red card for stepping on Erick Pulga's ankle, leaving the team with ten men. In the 43rd minute, Mengão had a chance to extend their lead. Luiz Araújo received the ball on the left and hit a crossbar. On the rebound, Cebolinha attempted a shot, but the ball bounced around inside the six-yard box. Daronco even went to the VAR to review a possible penalty, but allowed play to continue. 

Due to the frequent stoppages in the second half, the referee added 13 minutes of stoppage time. Outnumbered on the field, the red-and-black team managed to hold off Bahia and emerged victorious, provisionally taking the lead in the Brasileirão. 

Flamengo
Rossi; Varela, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Erick (Evertton Araújo), Allan (Luiz Araújo), Gerson and Arrascaeta (Pedro); Michael (Wallace Yan) and Bruno Henrique (Everton Cebolinha).
Coach: Filipe Luís. 

Bahia
Marcos Felipe; Gabriel Xavier, Santiago Mingo, Rezende and Iago; Acevedo, Rodrigo Nestor (Tiago), Jean Lucas (Cauly) and Luciano Juba (Erick Pulga); Kayky (Everton Ribeiro) and Lucho Rodríguez (Willian José).
Coach: Rogério Ceni. 

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Thursday (15) to face LDU, at 21:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the fifth round of Group C of the Libertadores.

Technical sheet
Flamengo 1x0 Bahia – Brazilian Championship | 8th Round
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Audience and income: 62.204 / R$ 3.504,542,5
Date and time: 10/05/2025 at 21:XNUMX am
Refereeing: Anderson Daronco (RS), Rafael da Silva Alves (RS) and Tiago Augusto Kappes Diel (RS)
Yellow card: Santiago Mingo (BAH)
Red card: Gerson (FLA)
Goal: Arrascaeta (7'1st half).