2-0: Palmeiras puncture and Flamengo smells blood

He Flamengo beat Vitória 2-0 in the twenty-second round of the Brazilian league and closed the gap with the Palmeiraschampionship leader. Thanks to this victory, the Rio de Janeiro team has 42 points, six less than its biggest rival, which today tied without goals with Internacional.

In this way, last year’s league winner prevents Palmeiras from opening a gap that is difficult to bridge with less than half of the season left. ‘Fla’ controlled the match from the first minute, with quick passes and multiple finishes, while Vitória fought not to be overtaken.

The offensive of the team led by Leonardo Jardim did not take long to give results and, in the 13th minute, the Chilean Éric Pulgar shot with precision into the top corner of the rival goal. The Rio team maintained the pressure during the rest of the match, hardly facing dangerous situations in their area. That comfort translated into a second goal, this time from Bruno Henrique, in the 34th minute of the second half after a quick counterattack.

The match also served Jardim to return the already recovered Lucas Paquetá to the playing field, after he suffered an injury in the World Cup match between Brazil and Japan at the end of June.

Vitor Roque leaves Palmeiras empty-handed

Palmeiras, for its part, had difficulty converting ball possession into scoring opportunities, despite playing at home and facing a team, Internacional, that is close to the relegation zone. The offensive duo formed by ‘Flaco’ López and Vítor Roque, recently recovered from an injury, left the stadium empty-handed in the face of the rival’s tight defense.

Neymar’s Santos was defeated 0-2 by Athletico Paranaense, with goals from Colombian Kevin Viveros, and is already in the relegation zone. Neymar did not play because he is serving an automatic suspension after being sent off from the match against Remo last Tuesday.