Thaindian News

Rio de Janeiro, Feb 27 (IANS) Ending a 19-year drought, Fluminense won their eighth Guanabara Cup title comfortably beating Vasco da Gama 3-1 in the final Sunday.

The victory marked Fluminense’s first Guanabara title since 1993. The Guanabara Cup is the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship and Fluminense will play for the title against the winner of the Rio Cup, which begins next week.

Fluminense scored the first goal of the match in the 36th minute after Wellington Nem was tripped by Fagner inside the penalty box and Fluminense were awarded a penalty kick. Fred calmly took the kick, driving the ball into the upper right side of the goal.

Deco increased Fluminense’s lead with an excellent shot from the top left side of the goalie box. The veteran midfielder caught keeper Fernando Prass by surprise, bending a quick shot into the upper left corner of the goal.

Fred scored once again in the 56th minute when he received a rolling pass from Thiago Neves and one-timed it into the lower left corner of the Vasco da Gama goal.

Vasco da Gama, desperately trying to make an impression on the match, got a consolation goal when Eduardo Costa scored from a header in the 82nd minute. The goal gave Vasco hope and the team dominated ball-possession during the final minutes of the match. Fluminense Diego Cavalieri saved two close-range shots in front of the goal, securing his team’s lead and win.

Tragically, a Fluminense fan was thrown over the rail of the stadium seating, falling head first nearly 15 feet onto a cement divider. The person was immediately taken to a nearby hospital and was in critical condition, Xinhua reported.