Flamengo’s unbeaten run since Leonardo Jardim took charge has come to an abrupt end.
The team suffered a 3-0 defeat, their heaviest since the change in management.
A Heavy Loss on the Road
Before this defeat, Flamengo had managed a draw against Fluminense, and another against Corinthians. They had also secured victories against Remo, Botafogo and Cruzeiro.
The first loss under the new manager had to come eventually, but the manner of it was unexpected. The 3-0 scoreline represents the largest defeat suffered by Flamengo since the 4-1 loss to Botafogo in August 2024, when Tite was still the coach.
Flamengo had previously lost 3-0 to Volta Redonda in the last Campeonato Carioca. However, that game featured a reserve team led by Bruno Pivetti, the under-20s coach.
Tite, after that heavy defeat, only managed nine more games as Flamengo’s coach.
Bragantino’s Resurgence
The defeat in Bragança Paulista appears to continue Flamengo’s tradition of struggling in the interior of São Paulo. However, their winless run away at Bragantino had been broken last year, thanks to a goal from Wesley.
Before that, Flamengo had gone 26 years without a win there, although that period only included five matches in Bragança Paulista.
This time, the 3-0 loss almost matched Flamengo’s worst defeat of 4-0 in 2023. On that occasion, Henry Mosquera was the best player on the pitch.
This time around, the same Mosquera scored what he thought was the fourth goal, only for it to be disallowed for a handball in the build-up.
Bragantino’s victory ended a run of six games without a win, which included two draws and four defeats. Their last victory was on 15 February, against Novorizontino, in the final round of the Campeonato Paulista.
The 3-0 defeat to Bragantino marks a difficult moment for Flamengo under Leonardo Jardim, raising questions about the team’s consistency away from home.