Pedro answered the call when it mattered most
Em uma noite de domingo em Curitiba, o Flamengo colheu um ponto que quase escapou por entre os dedos — um empate que revelou tanto as fragilidades quanto a resiliência de um clube que ainda persegue o título. Pedro, com seu gol de empate, transformou o que poderia ter sido uma derrota em uma declaração de intenção, enquanto os erros do goleiro Rossi reacenderam uma questão mais profunda sobre confiança, responsabilidade e quem merece ocupar os momentos decisivos.
- O goleiro Rossi entregou o primeiro gol ao Athletico com um erro elementar, repetindo a fragilidade que já havia custado caro ao Flamengo na Copa do Brasil dias antes.
- O Athletico desperdiçou três chances seguidas de ampliar o placar no segundo tempo, concedendo ao Flamengo uma sobrevida que o time não havia conquistado com mérito.
- Pedro respondeu ao desafio com um gol que valia mais do que três pontos — era uma mensagem direta a Carlo Ancelotti, presente nas arquibancadas para avaliá-lo antes da Copa do Mundo.
- A expulsão de Danilo e a polêmica com a falta em Paquetá acrescentaram tensão a uma partida que já carregava o peso das expectativas de um clube que não pode se dar ao luxo de tropeçar.
- O empate mantém o Flamengo em segundo lugar, a quatro pontos do Palmeiras, mas a pergunta que ecoa nos bastidores é outra: Rossi ainda é o titular que este time precisa?
Domingo à noite em Curitiba, e o Flamengo saiu da Arena da Baixada com um ponto que quase não mereceu. O empate por 1 a 1 com o Athletico, pela décima sexta rodada do Brasileirão, teve menos sabor de resultado positivo e mais de operação de resgate — protagonizada por Pedro e observada de perto por Carlo Ancelotti, presente nas arquibancadas.
O Athletico começou melhor, e aos dez minutos o goleiro Rossi transformou uma finalização administrável de Mendoza em gol. Era o segundo erro grave do argentino em poucos dias, depois de uma eliminação na Copa do Brasil que ainda pesava no ambiente. O Flamengo passou o restante do primeiro tempo tentando encontrar ritmo sem conseguir furar a retranca adversária.
No segundo tempo, o panorama mudou. Carrascal acertou a trave de cabeça após cruzamento de Samuel Lino, e o Athletico desperdiçou três oportunidades seguidas de ampliar — duas delas paradas por Rossi, numa ironia que o futebol costuma reservar para momentos assim. A partir daí, o Flamengo cresceu.
Pedro, o centroavante que mira uma vaga na Copa do Mundo, marcou o gol de empate aos 38 minutos do segundo tempo. O gol tinha destinatário certo: Ancelotti, que havia viajado a Curitiba para avaliá-lo. A igualdade manteve o Flamengo em segundo lugar, a quatro pontos do Palmeiras — que também empatou na rodada. O Athletico ficou em quinto, com 24 pontos.
Os minutos finais trouxeram mais tensão: Danilo foi expulso, e os jogadores do Flamengo protestaram contra a amarela dada ao Felipinho por uma falta dura em Paquetá. Mas o que ficou no ar foi outra coisa. Pedro havia respondido quando precisava. Rossi, pelo segundo jogo seguido, havia levantado dúvidas que não se calam facilmente — e Andrew, reserva paciente no banco, passou mais uma noite esperando sua vez.
Sunday night in Curitiba, and Flamengo walked away from the Arena da Baixada with a point they nearly didn't deserve. The match against Athletico ended 1-1 in the sixteenth round of Brazil's top division, a result that felt less like a victory and more like a rescue operation—one that hinged entirely on Pedro's late equalizer and the watching eyes of Carlo Ancelotti from the stands.
Athlético came out swinging. In the opening minutes, Flamengo retreated into their own half, absorbing pressure as the home side built momentum. Ten minutes in, goalkeeper Rossi handed them the game on a platter. Mendoza's shot from the right was straightforward enough, but Rossi, the Argentine keeper who had already stumbled through a Copa do Brasil elimination earlier in the week, simply failed to hold it. The ball found the net. One-nil, and the damage was done by a man wearing Flamengo's colors.
What followed was a familiar pattern: Flamengo began to push forward, searching for rhythm, while Athletico retreated into a defensive shell and waited for chances on the break. Leonardo Jardim's team lacked the creativity and precision to break through. The first half ended with the scoreline unchanged, and with it, a growing sense that this might be another night where Flamengo's goalkeeper would define the outcome.
The second half brought a different Flamengo. Within five minutes, Carrascal's header off a Samuel Lino cross struck the crossbar—a warning shot that suggested the visitors had found their footing. Athletico's Viveros then squandered three consecutive opportunities to extend the lead, twice denied by Rossi and once by the woodwork. It was the kind of reprieve that football occasionally grants to teams that don't deserve it.
Pedro, the number nine chasing a World Cup berth, seized the moment. In the thirty-eighth minute of the second half, he equalized, sending a message not just to his own supporters but directly to Ancelotti, who had traveled to Curitiba to assess him. The goal kept Flamengo's title hopes alive, at least mathematically. With the draw, they remained in second place, four points behind Palmeiras, who had also drawn their match that round. Athletico stayed fifth with twenty-four points.
The final minutes turned heated. Danilo, Flamengo's defender, was sent off as tempers flared. There had been other controversies too—Flamengo's players had protested when referee Rafael Rodrigo Klein issued only a yellow card to Athletico's Felipinho for a challenge on Lucas Paquetá that caught the midfielder on the shin and ankle. But by then, the narrative had already shifted. Pedro had answered the call. Rossi's error, however, lingered in the minds of everyone watching. This was his second significant mistake in as many matches, and it had reignited a debate that had been simmering among Flamengo's supporters: whether the goalkeeper deserved to keep his place, or whether Andrew, waiting on the bench, deserved a chance to prove himself.
Citações Notáveis
Pedro did not disappoint Carlo Ancelotti, who was present in Curitiba to watch the match— Match report
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Rossi's mistake matter so much here? It's one goal in a match that ended level.
Because it set the tone for everything that followed. Flamengo spent the entire first half chasing a game they shouldn't have been losing. That's exhausting, mentally and physically. And it's the second time in a week he's cost them—they went out of the Copa do Brasil partly because of him.
So the draw feels hollow?
Not entirely. Pedro's goal was real, and it was important. But yes, there's a sense that Flamengo survived rather than won. They're still four points back of Palmeiras. They need to be winning these matches away from home, not scraping draws.
Ancelotti was there watching. What was he looking for?
He came to see Pedro, specifically. The striker is fighting for a World Cup spot, and he needed to show up when it mattered. He did that. But Ancelotti also saw a goalkeeper who can't be trusted, and a team that lacks the control they need to compete for a title.
Is Rossi finished as a starter?
That's the question everyone's asking now. Andrew is waiting. If Rossi makes another mistake like this, the pressure to change becomes unbearable. You can't win a championship with a keeper who gives away goals in the tenth minute.
What about the red card at the end?
Danilo got sent off in a heated finish. By then the match was already decided, but it shows how frustrated Flamengo was. They felt they should have won, and they were angry about some of the referee's decisions too—particularly that challenge on Paquetá that only drew yellow.
So what's next for Flamengo?
They have to keep winning and hope Palmeiras slip up. But they also have to solve the Rossi problem. You can't build a title run on a foundation that keeps cracking.