Flamengo defeats Fluminense on penalties and wins its 40th Campeonato Carioca title.

THREE-TIME CHAMPIONS! Flamengo, once again, made history by winning its 40th Carioca Championship title by beating Fluminense on penalties, 5-4, this Sunday (8), at Maracanã. The classic ended 0-0 in normal time, and in penalties, Mengão prevailed. Rossi's star shone, saving two penalties and being decisive for the conquest of the three-peat, the seventh consecutive in its history. Celebrate, Nation!

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The game

The match began with an intense battle for possession. In the opening minutes, Fluminense managed to exchange passes in the attacking third. However, Flamengo quickly balanced the game and began to dominate, being more consistent in attack. In the 16th minute, the red-and-black team had their first shot on goal. Jorginho passed to Pedro inside the area, he turned and shot. Fábio made the save. 

After the hydration break, Flamengo continued to control possession, exchanging passes to try and open up spaces in the Fluminense defense. Fluminense, in turn, pressed Flamengo's build-up play, looking to steal the ball and catch their defense off guard. 

In the final stretch, the scenario remained the same, with Flamengo dominating the entire attacking field in search of opening the scoring before halftime. Without added time, the referee blew the whistle for halftime with the score tied at 0-0. 

Upon returning from halftime, the first dangerous play came in favor of Fluminense just three minutes in. Acosta fired a low shot towards the corner, Rossi dived to his right and parried it away for a corner kick. The game became more open as both teams searched for a goal. Despite their attempts to attack, the match was constantly interrupted by fouls committed by both sides. 

Before the 20-minute mark, coach Leonardo Jardim made the first substitutions for the Flamengo team. Samuel Lino and Carrascal left the field, replaced by Everton Cebolinha and Lucas Paquetá, respectively. The momentum was with Fluminense, who were applying some pressure in attack. 

At 32 minutes, Cebolinha made a backheel pass to Alex Sandro, who crossed into the box. Arrascaeta arrived in the six-yard box and headed the ball over the crossbar. In the final stretch, Flamengo regained control of possession and tried to apply pressure in search of a goal. Even so, Fluminense did not abandon the attack and, whenever they had the opportunity, reached the Flamengo area creating danger. 

After adding only two minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle. With the score tied, the match went to penalties. In the shootout, Rossi's star shone once again. The Flamengo goalkeeper saved two penalties and was decisive in the 5-4 victory. With this result, Flamengo won its 40th Campeonato Carioca title in its history, its seventh consecutive three-peat. THE FLAMENGO NATION CELEBRATED AT THE MARACANÃ!

Flamengo

Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Erick Pulgar, Jorginho and Arrascaeta (Luiz Araújo); Carrascal (Lucas Paquetá), Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) and Pedro (Plata).

Coach: Leonardo Jardim.

Fluminense

Fábio; Samuel Xavier (Guga), Jemmes, Freytes and Renê (Guilherme Arana); Martinelli, Hércules (Otávio) and Lucho Acosta (Ganso); Canobbio, Serna (Savarino) and John Kennedy.

Coach: Luis Zubeldía.

Week's agenda

Flamengo returns to the field on Wednesday (11) to face Cruzeiro, at 21:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the fifth round of Brasileirão.

Technical sheet

Fluminense 0 (4)x(5) 0 Flamengo – Campeonato Carioca 2026 | Final
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 08/03/2026 at 18:XNUMX am
Referees: Bruno Arleu de Araújo (RJ), Luiz Cláudio Regazone (RJ) and Thiago Filemon Soares Pinto (RJ)
Yellow cards: Renê (FLU), Serna (FLU), Lucho Acosta (FLU), Samuel Lino (FLA), Jorginho (FLA) and Canobbio (FLU)
Goals: In the penalty shootout: Jorginho, Everton Cebolinha, Léo Pereira, Paquetá and Léo Ortiz.