📝 Super-sub Gabriel Barbosa fires Flamengo to victory at Santos | OneFootball

Gabriel Barbosa broke the hearts of former club Santos by coming off the bench to clinch a win for Flamengo on Saturday.

Scorers: Zanocelo 66′; Pedro 18′, Barbosa 73′

After a taxing trip to Colombia in midweek, Fla manager Dorival Júnior rang the changes from the side that beat Tolima 1-0 in the Copa Libertadores by leaving Barbosa, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and David Luiz on the bench.

Despite resting those star names at the Vila Belmiro, the Rubro-Negro hit the front after Éverton Ribeiro’s cutback from the byline was expertly volleyed home from close range by Pedro.

However the visitors were pegged back midway through the second half by a goal that has to go down as a goalkeeping mistake.

Vinicius Zanocelo’s free-kick from distance evaded the wall but Santos will certainly feel that he should have done better to prevent the ball flying under his diving body.

Flamengo reacted immediately by introducing Barbosa, de Arrascaeta and Diego Ribas. The substitutions bore fruit just five minutes later when de Arrascaeta played in Pedro whose shot was repelled only for Barbosa to convert the rebound.

It was sweet revenge for the striker who had been given a hostile reception by the Peixe faithful at the club he joined at the tender age of eight.

The win moves the Mengão up to seventh in the Brasileirão table, one place above Santos.