Flamengo and Botafogo draw goalless in Brasileirão
Arrascaeta and Artur are missing at Maracanã. Fla sees Palmeiras open up a four-point lead at the top
Summary
Flamengo and Botafogo were unable to break the deadlock. In a lively derby at Maracanã, with chances for both sides, the teams fought hard, saw both goalkeepers work hard and in the end felt the absence of their players – Arrascaeta for the red-black side and Artur for the black-and-white. It was worse for Flamengo, who were the home team and saw Palmeiras, their direct rival at the top of the table, open up a four-point lead at the top of the Brasileirão.
Bad for Fla
With this result, Flamengo reached 18 points and remains in second place in the Brazilian league table. However, as they beat Bragantino in the round, Palmeiras reached 22 and opened up a four-point lead over the team from Rio. Botafogo now has 12 points and ends the ninth round in tenth place.
They were missed
In great moments of the season, Arrascaeta and Artur were missed by Flamengo and Botafogo, respectively. The Uruguayan was spared due to the grueling sequence of games, and the black and white player did not take to the field because he felt discomfort in his right thigh.
Keep fastingBotafogo now boasts a four-year unbeaten run against Flamengo as visitors in the Brasileirão. The last defeat to the rival in these conditions was in 2022. In the previous three years, Alvinegro won.
The game
Flamengo was far superior in the first 30 minutes of the classic, dominating the action and suffocating Botafogo, who in turn defended well and did not give much space to their rival. Little by little, the team led by Renato Paiva began to loosen up and almost scored with a great shot from Cuiabano. Before that, Flamengo had already scared Luiz Araújo with a shot that John saved.
In the second half, the teams alternated more in the game’s control. Botafogo took control of the game for 10 to 15 minutes and almost opened the scoring, but Rossi worked well in at least two important saves. The final minutes saw the Red-Blacks looking for a goal and putting on pressure, but without creating much danger.
