🇧🇷 Flamengo move up to second with win over Santos | OneFootball

Flamengo moved up into second place in the Brasileirão Série A after convincingly beating Santos 3-2 at the Maracanã.

Scorers: Pedro 45+5′, Marinho 79′, De Arrascaeta 87′; Alex 53′, Carabajal 90+7′

The hosts had a contentious penalty appeal waved away in the 20th minute after Matheuzinho was brought down in the box before taking the lead deep into first-half stoppage time.

After some good work by Matheuzinho the ball broke to Pedro inside the penalty area who, having found himself a yard of space, cooly finished into the bottom corner.

Santos replied shortly after the break with a devastating attacking move as Guilherme Camacho’s cross was well met by the onrushing Alex to divert the ball into the back of the net from close range.

Dorival Júnior’s side continued to push for their second goal and came close through Everton before having another penalty appeal waved away by VAR before the visitors’ resilience cracked with ten minutes remaining.

Gabriel Barbose clipped a delightful ball over the top of the defence and, despite Pedro being denied from close range, Marinho was on hand to fire in the follow-up off the post to restore Flamengo’s advantage.

As the clock ticked towards the end of regular time, Giorgian de Arrascaeta secured three points, collecting Ayrton Lucas’s pass and dispatching a low shot into the bottom left corner.

Santos would find a late consolation goal, well into stoppage time at the end of the match as Gabriel Carabajal got in on the act with a powerful low drive from the edge of the area, but it was too little too late for the visiting side.

With this win, Flamengo leapfrogged Internacional, who have a game in hand, into second place whilst Santos remain on the edge of post-season qualification in 12th.