Fluminense Escape With 1-1 Bragantino Draw in Fiery Maracanã Return
The real battle was tactical, not controversial. Whoever controlled the midfield and managed transitions better deserved the result, and sometimes football is decided by coaching, not officiating.
Red Bull Bragantino took the lead through Eduardo Sasha in the 26th minute at the Maracanã, on a night that also marked Hulk's official debut in a Fluminense shirt. The game turned chaotic in the second half when Bragantino's Sant'Anna was sent off for elbowing Lucho Acosta, reducing the visitors to ten men, according to Goal.com Brasil. Deep into stoppage time, tempers boiled over again: Fluminense's John Kennedy was dismissed for striking Henry Mosquera, and Bragantino's Fabinho followed him down the tunnel moments later.
Amid all of it, Fluminense kept working the game the way they wanted to, using the extra space created by Bragantino's numerical disadvantage to finally break through. Ignácio headed home a stoppage-time equalizer to salvage the point, per Fluminense's official recap. Three red cards will dominate the headlines, but it was Fluminense's patience in building toward that late chance that actually won them the result they got. The draw keeps Fluminense third with 32 points and Bragantino fourth with 30.
