Flamengo never looked troubled, even with ten players absent
Antes de o futebol brasileiro ceder espaço ao palco maior da Copa do Mundo, o Flamengo encontrou no Maracanã uma forma de afirmar sua presença: uma vitória limpa, construída com eficiência e sem alarde. Com dez desfalques e um adversário reduzido a dez homens, o rubro-negro venceu o Coritiba por 3 a 0 no sábado, consolidando o segundo lugar no Campeonato Brasileiro com 34 pontos. É o tipo de resultado que não pede admiração — apenas registra que, mesmo incompleto, um time pode ser suficiente.
- Samuel Lino foi o protagonista improvável de uma noite que parecia fadada à administração: dois gols e uma assistência, transformando vulnerabilidades alheias em sentença.
- O Flamengo entrou em campo carregando dez ausências — convocações para a Copa e lesões, incluindo Jorginho com fratura no pé — mas jamais pareceu ameaçado.
- A expulsão de Pedro Rocha aos 30 minutos, após entrada violenta em Vitão, retirou do Coritiba qualquer esperança de reação e entregou o jogo ao rubro-negro.
- A preocupação ficou por conta de Léo Ortiz, que deixou o campo ainda no primeiro tempo com dor na coxa direita, levantando suspeita de lesão muscular às vésperas da pausa.
- Com a vitória, o Flamengo encurtou a distância para o líder Palmeiras — agora quatro pontos à frente — e parte para um período de três semanas com moral e posição consolidada.
Samuel Lino saiu do Maracanã no sábado à noite tendo feito algo simples e completo: desmontou o Coritiba quase sozinho, marcando dois gols e participando do terceiro na vitória por 3 a 0 do Flamengo. Não foi uma atuação espetacular — foi eficiente, quase inevitável. O rubro-negro, apesar de dez desfalques, nunca pareceu em apuros, e consolidou o segundo lugar no Brasileirão com 34 pontos antes da pausa de três semanas pela Copa do Mundo.
O jogo se definiu cedo. Aos dez minutos, o goleiro Pedro Rangel errou na saída de bola e Lino estava lá para punir, recebendo de Pedro e finalizando com precisão. O Coritiba nunca se recuperou do baque inicial. Aos 30 minutos, Pedro Rocha acertou Vitão com uma entrada imprudente e foi expulso após revisão do VAR. A partir daí, o Flamengo administrou com tranquilidade. No segundo tempo, Lino cruzou para Pedro cabecear na pequena área, e depois completou sua noite marcando o terceiro, com desvio na defesa adversária.
A vitória teve seu custo: Léo Ortiz sentiu dor na coxa direita logo após o primeiro gol e deixou o campo, com suspeita de lesão muscular. Ainda assim, em um dia em que o elenco já operava com ausências por convocações e contusões — entre elas a de Jorginho, com fratura no pé —, o time demonstrou profundidade e equilíbrio.
Agora o Flamengo está a quatro pontos do líder Palmeiras. O grupo se dispersa por três semanas antes de uma pré-temporada em Portugal. O retorno está marcado para a semana de 22 de julho, contra o Chapecoense. Por enquanto, o rubro-negro deixa o campo em seus próprios termos — tendo dito o que precisava dizer antes de o mundo virar os olhos para outro torneio.
Samuel Lino walked out of the Maracanã on Saturday evening having done something simple and complete: he had dismantled Coritiba almost single-handedly, scoring twice and setting up a third goal in Flamengo's 3-0 victory. It was the kind of performance that stays with you—not because it was spectacular, but because it was efficient, almost inevitable. Flamengo, despite carrying ten absences into the match, never looked troubled. By the time the final whistle came, the rubro-negro had consolidated their position as vice-leader in the Brazilian championship with 34 points, and they did it in style before heading into a three-week World Cup break.
The match unfolded in Flamengo's favor from the opening minutes. Ten minutes in, Lino had already opened the scoring. Coritiba's goalkeeper Pedro Rangel made an elementary mistake on a ball distribution, and the Flamengo winger was there to capitalize, receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Pedro and finishing cleanly. It was the kind of goal that sets a tone—not a moment of brilliance, but a punishment for carelessness. The visitors from Paraná never recovered from that early blow.
The turning point came around the half-hour mark when Pedro Rocha, Coritiba's attacker, caught Vitão on the shin with a reckless challenge. The referee consulted the video review and sent him off without hesitation. Suddenly, Flamengo had the numerical advantage they needed, and Leonardo Jardim's team seized it completely. The second half became a formality. Lino, who had already opened the scoring, now turned provider, crossing for Pedro to head home in the small area. Then, with the game well in hand, Lino added his second goal, his shot taking a deflection off the Coritiba defense and past the goalkeeper.
The victory was not without its complications. Léo Ortiz, Flamengo's center-back, felt pain in his right thigh immediately after the opening goal and had to leave the field. There is suspicion of a muscle injury, the kind of thing that could linger into the break. Still, on a day when Flamengo was already operating with ten players unavailable—some called up for World Cup duties, others sidelined by injury, including Jorginho with a fractured right foot—the team showed they had the depth and composure to handle such absences.
The result moves Flamengo closer to Palmeiras, who sit atop the table with 38 points. The gap has narrowed, and there is momentum heading into the pause. Now the squad will disperse for three weeks of rest before reconvening for a pre-season training camp in Portugal. When they return, their next challenge will be Chapecoense in the week of July 22. For now, though, Flamengo leaves the field on their own terms, having sent a message before the football world briefly turns its attention elsewhere.
Citas Notables
Flamengo controlled the match with tranquility in the second half after the numerical advantage— Match summary
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What made this performance stand out, given that Flamengo was so undermanned?
They didn't have to be perfect. Coritiba gave them everything—the goalkeeper's mistake, the red card. Flamengo just had to be calm enough to take it.
Samuel Lino seems to have been the focal point. Was he simply in the right place, or was there something more deliberate about his positioning?
He was sharp. Two goals and an assist suggests he understood where the spaces were opening up. When you have a man advantage, the geometry of the field changes. Lino read it well.
The injury to Léo Ortiz—how significant is that heading into the break?
It's a muscle issue, which is always uncertain. Three weeks away might help, or it might not. They'll need to be careful when they return.
Does this victory change the narrative around Flamengo's season?
Not dramatically. They're second, they're competitive, but Palmeiras is still ahead. This was a good way to go into the break, though. No damage, no real drama.
What does the Portugal training camp suggest about their ambitions?
It suggests they want to use the time seriously. It's not just a vacation. They're investing in preparation, which means they believe there's work to do when they come back.