Flamengo lose to Fluminense, miss out on Carioca qualifying spots

In a classic match for the fourth round of the Campeonato Carioca , Fluminense defeated Flamengo 2-1 this Sunday at Maracanã. The Tricolor das Laranjeiras secured the victory with second-half goals from Serna and John Kennedy . The Rubro-Negro pulled one back shortly after with Everton Cebolinha.

With this result, the tricolores reached nine points, leading Group A of the Campeonato Carioca . Meanwhile, the rubro-negros remain with four points in Group B, in fifth place, and now risk not qualifying for the quarterfinals.

– Sunday, 25 January 2026

🔴🟢⚪ FLUMINENSE 2 x 1 FLAMENGO ⚫🔴

🏆 Competition: Campeonato Carioca 🏟️ Venue: Maracanã 📅 Date: January 25, 2026 (Sunday) ⏰ Time: 6:00 PM (Brasília time) 🟨 Yellow Cards: Guga, Lima, John Kennedy , and Canobbio (Fluminense); Allan and Vitão (Flamengo) 🟥 Red Cards: None

Refereeing

Goals

Fluminense

Fábio; Guga, Jemmes, Freytes, and Guilherme Arana (Renê); Bernal, Nonato (Lucho Acosta), and Lima (Martinelli); Serna, Canobbio (Santi Moreno), and John Kennedy (Everaldo)

Coach: Maxi Cuberas

Flamengo

Andrew; Emerson Royal , Léo Ortiz, Vitão, and Alex Sandro (Varela); Evertton, Allan (Pulgar), and Carrascal (Plata), Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha), and Pedro (Bruno Henrique)

Coach: Felipe Luís

The classic started under heavy rain at Maracanã. Because of this, Fluminense and Flamengo had a lot of difficulty creating good plays. At nine minutes, referee Alex Gomes Stefano stopped the match due to the condition of the pitch. As the rain eased, Flamengo began to dominate the game. The Flamengo team even found the net with Carrascal at 26 minutes, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Fluminense was undeterred and managed to threaten at 31 minutes. After a mistake in the build-up, Lima tried his luck from outside the box, but Andrew made the save. Flamengo responded shortly after. From a corner kick, Jemmes headed backwards, but Samuel Lino didn’t put it in the net. The tricolores threatened again at 36 minutes. After a corner, the ball fell to Serna. The striker placed his shot, but Andrew stretched to save the rubro-negros.

In the second half, Flamengo tried to apply some pressure, but saw Fluminense open the scoring at six minutes. Serna was played through, entered the box, and finished past Andrew. The setback was felt by the rubro-negros. Fluminense then took control of the classic. The tricolores were efficient and scored the second goal at 20 minutes. After a corner, Emerson Royal failed to clear and the ball fell to John Kennedy’s feet. The striker controlled and sent it into the net.

When it seemed Fluminense would have a comfortable finish, Flamengo got their first goal at 27 minutes. From a corner, Vitão headed and Everton Cebolinha also headed it into the net. After the goal, the game opened up. The tricolores threatened with a shot from Santi Moreno that Andrew stopped. The rubro-negros responded with Everton Cebolinha, who shot for a good save from Fábio . In the final minutes, Fluminense managed the result well to leave the field with the win at Maracanã.

Fluminense returns to the field this Wednesday, against Grêmio, for their debut in the Campeonato Brasileiro, at 7:30 PM (Brasília time), at Maracanã. Flamengo , meanwhile, faces São Paulo at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) on the same day, at Morumbis, also for the national tournament.

*By Gazeta Press

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.