Flamengo, with Erick Pulgar on the pitch, salvaged a key 1-1 draw away at Atlético Mineiro under Jorge Sampaoli. The result, combined with Palmeiras' defeat, gives the Rio side a five-point lead with two matches remaining in the tournament. Pulgar shone with a solid midfield performance.
The match took place at Atlético Mineiro's stadium, where the hosts opened the scoring in the 34th minute. Bernard capitalized on a cross from Dudu to push the ball into the six-yard box, after a first half in which Mineiro were clearer in attack and forced Agustín Rossi into saves, including a header from Dudu at the 19th minute.
Flamengo, coached by Filipe Luis with Erick Pulgar anchoring midfield, withstood the home side's early pressure. In the second half, substitutions proved crucial: the entries of Bruno Henrique and Giorgian de Arrascaeta bolstered the Mengao's attacking setup. The equalizer came in the second minute of stoppage time, as Danilo delivered a precise cross and Bruno Henrique headed home for the 1-1 final score. Atlético Mineiro finished with ten men after Rony's late red card.
Pulgar played the full 90 minutes in a standout performance: 92 out of 95 passes completed (97% accuracy), four ball recoveries, zero losses, and he won most of his duels. The draw gains significance due to Palmeiras' 3-2 loss to Gremio, keeping Flamengo top with 75 points, five ahead of the Verdao, with two rounds left in the Brasileirao.
Atlético Mineiro remain mid-table, far from Copa Libertadores spots. Flamengo return with a hard-earned point and control their title destiny. They face Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores final this Saturday, and close the league campaign against Ceará next Wednesday.