Fluminense held on for a 2:1 victory over Corinthians at the Maracanã Stadium in the Brazilian Série A regular season. The hosts extended their unbeaten run to eight after the late winner from Bruno Henrique. To be fair, this wasn't the most convincing display, but three points are three points.
Lucas Paquetá gave Fluminense the lead in the 48th minute, picking up a yellow card shortly after. Corinthians' goalkeeper made seven saves, but that wasn't enough to keep them in the game. Gui Negão pulled one back for the visitors in the 78th minute, and suddenly the match was wide open again.
By then, both managers had already made their changes. Fluminense brought on Fabrizio Angileri and Charles in the 67th minute, while Corinthians responded with Pedro and Ayrton Lucas. The substitutions kept coming — Matheus Pereira for Corinthians, Giorgian de Arrascaeta for Fluminense. And here's the thing about these games: the final third often decides them.
We had backed the hosts for victory at 56% confidence, and the result confirmed that reading. Fluminense dominated possession but took their chances sparingly. Bruno Henrique got over the line in the 89th minute when it mattered most.
>The statistics tell an interesting story. Fluminense registered 10 shots on target with an expected goals figure of 2.62, yet only converted twice. They won 23 aerial duels and completed 605 passes, but the final third work could have been sharper. Corinthians managed just one shot on target from their 10 attempts.
The result keeps Fluminense top of the table with 57 points from 27 games, four clear of anyone chasing. Corinthians remain 14th with 32 points and have not won since their last outing. The line has barely moved for either side, but this match will sharpen both sides for what comes next.