Flamengo x Grêmio: Rubro-Negro reaches the final of the Copa do Brasil again

At the Arena, Flamengo was dominant and built a comfortable lead in the clash.

In the opening minutes, Grêmio posed a threat with a chance created by Suárez. The striker intercepted Éverton Ribeiro’s pass and took a shot from midfield, coming close to a spectacular goal.

Flamengo once again erred in a pass that nearly resulted in a Tricolor goal, this time involving Matheus Cunha. At the 12th minute, a short pass from the goalkeeper to Thiago Maia within the box led to Villasanti dispossessing the opponent and taking a shot that was saved by Matheus Cunha.

Flamengo responded with a shot from Fabrício Bruno. At the 21st minute, Arrascaeta delivered a free-kick into the box, Kannemann cleared it, and the defender struck a beautiful first-time shot, saved impressively by Gabriel Grando.

The Rubro-Negro broke the deadlock at the 33rd minute. Reinaldo’s critical pass error in midfield was capitalized upon by Wesley, who seized the ball, sprinted, and launched Bruno Henrique into space. Number 27 then sent the ball into the middle of the box, and Gabigol tapped it into the back of the net, opening the scoring at the Arena.

At the 37th minute, Éverton Ribeiro entered the box and, while attempting a cross, the ball struck Bruno Alves’ arm, leading the referee to award a penalty. In the ensuing penalty kick, the specialist Gabigol was denied by Gabriel Grando.

Shortly before halftime, Renato disrupted the three-center-back scheme by substituting Ferreira in place of Bruno Uvini.

The second half began with intense action, though it was less fluid and more fiercely contested.

At the 14th minute, Kannemann arrived late on Éverton Ribeiro, receiving his second yellow card within an 8-minute span, altering the course of the game.

Flamengo capitalized on their numerical advantage and extended their lead at the 23rd minute. Following a triangle play on the left wing, Thiago Maia received a splendid pass from Arrascaeta, fired a low cross, and found the corner past Grando.

Flamengo attempted to widen the gap, creating chances with Pedro. The standout opportunity featured a brilliant individual play by the forward, dribbling past Reinaldo inside the box but ultimately sending his shot wide.

Photo: Marcelo Cortes/Flamengo

Second leg: Flamengo 1×0 Grêmio

After turbulent weeks following the first leg of the clash, Flamengo returns to defeat Grêmio and reaches its 9th Copa do Brasil final.

Amidst the week, which was marked by the altercation between Gerson and Varela, in which the Uruguayan had his nose fractured, both players started the match as starters. Thus, the atmosphere at Maracanã was characterized by support and protest.

Just 6 minutes in, Flamengo had a significant opportunity. Gerson delivered a precise cross, and Bruno Henrique headed at point-blank range, met by a superb save from Grando.

At the 29th minute, Imortal crafted a beautiful collective play that nearly resulted in a goal. Suárez played a first-touch pass to Bitello, who entered the box and struck powerfully, only to be denied by Matheus Cunha’s save.

At the 42nd minute, Arrascaeta received from Gerson and, in a pivot move, eluded the defender and placed his shot, once again met by Grando’s save.

Early in the second half, Suárez had two chances to break the deadlock. First, at the 4th minute, he received a through-ball inside the box and took a first-time shot, but failed to connect cleanly, leading to an easy save for the goalkeeper. A few minutes later, he received a pass from Cristaldo in the box, took a strong shot, but it was right at Matheus Cunha.

Imortal’s pressure was intense at Maracanã, and at the 13th minute, Ferreirinha hit the post. The forward placed a shot from the edge of the area, the ball bounced in front of the goalkeeper, and kissed the post.

Relief for the Flamengo fans came at the 23rd minute. Following a corner kick, Léo Pereira headed the ball, which struck Rodrigo Ely’s arm, and after VAR consultation, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. In the penalty kick, Arrascaeta struck a high shot down the middle of the goal, opening the scoring.

Rodrigo Ely later headed in an equalizer, but he was offside, and the goal was disallowed.

With the final whistle, Flamengo reached its 9th Copa do Brasil final, the 2nd consecutive one. The Rubro-Negro will face São Paulo in the title match.

Photo: Thiago Ribeiro / AGIF

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Written by Henry Miller.