If Palmeiras fans were worried after the 3-2 comeback defeat to Fluminense last Saturday (15), the situation has now gotten considerably worse.
That's because Flamengo thrashed Mirassol 5-1 this Sunday (16) and fully joined the race for the top spot in the Brasileirão.
Click here to watch the goals from the match!
In fact, the Rubro-Negro can be seen as the competition's "virtual" leader because they have a game in hand, precisely against Mirassol at the Maracanã, still without a date scheduled by the CBF.
And a few factors are going against Abel Ferreira & Co.

#click

Matchday 23 of the 2026 Brasileirão kicked off this Saturday (15).
In the first match of the day, Fluminense came from behind to beat Palmeiras 3-2 at the Maracanã.
The match featured refereeing controversy, Hulk entering the "grandpas' ranking", and coach Abel Ferreira arguing with journalists.
Next, Athletico-PR and RB Bragantino drew 1-1 at Arena da Baixada.
The standout performer was goalkeeper Tiago Volpi, who stood on his head and shut down most of Furacão's attacking moves.

#matchday #brasileir #fluminense #maracan

Fluminense take the field this Tuesday (11) at the Maracanã at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) to face Independiente Rivadavia in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores Round of 16.
The return leg will be next Tuesday (18) at Estádio Malvinas Argentinas, at the same time.
Also, because they had the worst overall campaign in the group stage, the Tricolor das Laranjeiras will always play the second leg away from home through the semifinals.
The 2026 Libertadores final — once again a single-match final — is scheduled for November 28 at Estadio Centenario in Uruguay.

#tuesday #final #Independiente

Botafogo and Fluminense have announced their lineups for this Saturday's (8) derby in the Brasileirão.
The match will take place at Nilton Santos Stadium and is part of the 22nd round of the league.
In the first-round meeting at the Maracanã, Tricolor won 1-0, with a goal from Lucho Acosta.
See below for the starting lineups:

#round #botafogo #brasileir #stadium

Vasco and Fluminense have announced their lineups for the clash that opens the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil.
The first leg takes place at the Maracanã this Saturday (1st), starting at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time), with Vasco as the home side.
The return leg is scheduled for next Wednesday (5th), at the same stadium.
The matchup is a rematch of one of the semifinals from the last edition of the Copa do Brasil, when Vasco advanced on penalties.
SporTV, Globo, ge tv, Premiere and Prime Video will broadcast the match.

#copa #brasil #saturday

Bahia were far from pleased with the refereeing decisions led by Jodis Nascimento de Souza during this Sunday's (12) friendly against Fluminense.
The Rio de Janeiro side beat the team from Bahia 2-0 thanks to goals from Hulk and Germán Cano.
And coach Rogério Ceni did not hold back after the match at the Maracanã.
Two incidents prompted the outburst: Erick's disallowed goal for an alleged foul by Willian José — when the score was still 0-0 — and a possible penalty on Ademir that was not given.
Ceni pointed out that he had requested referees from outside Rio de Janeiro, which did not happen.

Money talks. It usually does in modern football, and Flamengo have seemingly listened. After dug-in resistance from the Rio de Janeiro board earlier in the week, Aston Villa have forced a breakthrough. A tweaked bid did the trick. Villa raised their offer to €10m (£8.6m) for Emerson Royal after a cheaper €9m opening gambit was swiftly knocked back.
Journalist Venê Casagrande broke the news of the sudden shift in stance, with Rio outlet O Dia, via Sport Witness, reporting that club chiefs now expect a quick exit. Financial reality has simply overridden footballing doubt.
It hasn’t been a happy homecoming for the defender. Royal joined Flamengo from AC Milan last season but never truly settled under the bright lights of the Maracanã. 40 appearances yielded just one goal and five **** ists. He looked a yard off the pace. Consistency was hard to come by, and the fans noticed.
LIMA, PERU – NOVEMBER 29: Emerson Royal of Flamengo celebrates with winner’s medal after the 2025 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores Final match between Palmeiras and Flamengo at Estadio Monumental on November 29, 2025 in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)
Unai Emery knows exactly what he wants from his back line. Pragmatism is the word here. The Spaniard loves a right-back who can tuck inside, morphing into a makeshift back three when the left-back flies forward. Royal has the raw physical tools for this. He relishes a scrap on the ground and puts his body about. Yet, there are glaring issues.

Reports in Brazil claim that Milan sent scouts to view Flamengo midfielder Evertton Araujo, planning a possible offer worth €15m next month.
The Rossoneri are one of several clubs keeping an eye on the situation, but Coluna Do Fla maintain that they are the most active, sending someone to watch him in action against Coritiba at the Maracana on Saturday.
Now that they have a new coach in Ruben Amorim and have decided on a different structure for their transfer team, they can begin planning for the next season.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 23: José Manuel López of Palmeiras fights for the ball with Evertton Araújo of Flamengo during the match between Flamengo and Palmeiras as part of Brasileirao 2026 at Maracana Stadium on May 23, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
Evertton Araujo is described as a box to box midfielder who came up through the youth academies at Cruzeiro, Botafogo and Redonda before joining Flamengo in January 2024.

In a recent report, Fichajes revealed that ****** nal are eyeing a move for Bournemouth winger Rayan this off-season. It has been stated that the Gunners are keeping a keen eye on the Brazilian wide player ahead of a potential move for him this summer.
Rayan managed to shine with his performances on the right side of Bournemouth’s attack in the previous campaign. The 19-year-old found the back of the net seven times and earned a couple of ****** ists in 16 matches for the Cherries last season on all fronts.
The Brazilian talent is currently among the most talented young wingers in the Premier League. Hence, it is no surprise that the Gunners are eager to snap him up this summer.
His current contract at the Vitality Stadium will run out in the summer of 2031, which could make it tough for ****** nal to sign him on the cheap later this year.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 31: Rayan of Brazil celebrates after scoring the team’s third goal during the international friendly match between Brazil and Panama at Maracana Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr. and Luiz Henrique celebrate Brazil’s first goal in the 6-2 rout of PanamaCredits: Nelson Terme/CBF
Scorer of the first goal in Brazil’s 6-2 rout of Panama this Sunday (31) at the Maracanã, forward Vinícius Júnior said the friendly was a good opportunity for the Brazilian team to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. He also played a direct role in the second goal, scored by Casemiro. He was then substituted at halftime.
“I believe it was a good game for our preparation. There were two teams, one in the first half and another in the second half, but with the same objective: to arrive as well prepared as possible for the World Cup. I believe both teams (the two Seleção lineups) did very well what the ‘Mister’ asked of us, and we managed to put it into practice,” he said.
The No. 7 also praised the atmosphere at the Maracanã after the friendly win and spoke about the feeling of returning to the stadium. More than 70,000 Brazilian fans made the difference and pushed the team toward victory. “Winning at home, at the Maracanã, being able to come back here after such a long time, is always very special,” added Vinícius Júnior.
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