Flamengo Beats Atlético Mineiro 3–2 on Late Penalty to Retake Brasileirão Lead

A 2014 view inside Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã stadium, where Flamengo hosted Atlético Mineiro — Elizabeth Da Silva Brites Santos / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Summary

Carrascal converted a stoppage-time penalty as Flamengo defeated Atlético Mineiro 3–2 in the 32nd round of Brazil's Série A.
Flamengo returned to first place with 70 points, one ahead of Palmeiras, with six rounds remaining.
Bernard and Renan Lodi scored for Atlético; Gonzalo Plata and Giorgian de Arrascaeta also scored for Flamengo.

A late winner at the Maracanã

Flamengo beat Atlético Mineiro 3–2 on Monday at Rio de Janeiro's Maracanã, with Jorge Carrascal converting a stoppage-time penalty to put the home side back atop Brazil's Série A. The victory moved Flamengo to 70 points, one ahead of Palmeiras, after the 32nd round of the league season.^{[1] [2]}

Atlético had gone ahead through Bernard, only for Gonzalo Plata and Giorgian de Arrascaeta to put Flamengo in front before halftime. Renan Lodi equalized in the second half. Then Léo Pereira went down in a challenge with Lodi, and Carrascal converted the resulting penalty in the final moments, according to Folha de S.Paulo and UOL.^{[1] [2]}

The win came four days after Flamengo's exit from the Copa Libertadores semifinals against Argentina's Estudiantes. That loss had left the Brazilian league as the immediate focus of the club's attempt to finish the season with a major title.^{[1] [3]}

How the match turned

Bernard struck early for the visitors, but Flamengo recovered before the interval. Plata drew the home side level and Arrascaeta completed the turnaround. Folha reported that Atlético goalkeeper Gabriel Delfim made errors on both Flamengo goals; UOL said Flamengo had produced 16 attempts to Atlético's two during its first-half dominance.^{[1] [2]}

Lodi's goal 14 minutes into the second half made it 2–2 and temporarily threatened Flamengo's route back to the top. The home team continued to press, and the late penalty gave Carrascal the chance to settle the contest. UOL placed his conversion in the 54th minute of the second half.^{[1] [2]}

The two accounts differ by a minute on Bernard's opener: Folha lists the sixth minute and UOL the seventh. Both agree on the order of the five goals and the 3–2 final score. The result matters more to the standings than the small discrepancy in the recorded time of the opening goal.^{[1] [2]}

The title race and what comes next

Palmeiras had moved ahead by beating Red Bull Bragantino 2–0 on Saturday, reaching 69 points. Flamengo's win answered that result and left it one point clear with six rounds to play. Atlético remained sixth on 50 points, according to Folha.^{[1] [2]}

Flamengo's next league match is against Vasco on Thursday, October 29; Atlético Mineiro is due to face Cruzeiro the same day. Palmeiras plays Santos on Wednesday. The narrow margin means the lead can change again quickly, although Monday's result put Flamengo in control of its own position at the top for the moment.^{[1] [2]}

For Atlético, the defeat came between a successful continental semifinal and another important domestic fixture. It reached the Copa Sudamericana final on aggregate despite a 2–0 second-leg loss to Montevideo City Torque, having won the first leg 3–0. The club is scheduled to face Boca Juniors in the November 21 final.^[4]

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