Flamengo: halfway to glory?

Welcome back to the Brazil Sports newsletter! This week, Flamengo are the symbolic champions of the first half of 2019, is it their title to lose? Plus, free tickets for Brazilian league games, and death threats at struggling Cruzeiro. That, and much more. Happy reading!

Flamengo: halfway to glory?

As we hit the halfway point of the 2019 Brazilian championship, Flamengo sealed their place in first position with a tense 1-0 win over Santos on Saturday. While being top after round 19 is a purely symbolic achievement, the “first-half championship” is taken rather seriously in Brazil. Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see why.

In the 17 years since the Brazilian league adopted the 38-game home-and-away system (previously, the championship was decided by a play-off), the leader at the half-way stage has only failed to end the year as champion four times.

While this does bode well for Flamengo, their three-point lead over second-placed Palmeiras is hardly unassailable, as recent history tells us.

In 2009, Flamengo finished the first half of the season in seventh position, yet managed to power through and win what was their last league title. Just twelve months ago, Palmeiras ended the 19th round eight points off leaders São Paulo, yet would go on to steamroller the opposition and win the league by the same eight-point margin. São Paulo ended the year in fifth.

That said, Flamengo’s football is irresistible; at this stage, it is firmly their title to lose. They have won their last six on the bounce, scoring an average of over 2.8 goals a game in the process. Gabigol is in the form of his life, scoring at least once in each of his last nine matches, including possibly the greatest goal of his career to defeat his old club Santos (more on that in the Goal of the Week section below).

If Gabigol doesn’t win player of the year, it will be because his Uruguayan team-mate Giorgian De Arrascaeta pipped him to the post. The highly technical playmaker has found the ideal side to showcase his talents, laying goals on for his colleagues left, right and center, and grabbing eight of his own.

In terms of challengers, Santos have stuttered and cannot afford to fall any further behind. Jorge Sampaoli’s side won seven in a row in June and July, but have now recorded only one victory since August 4.

Corinthians and São Paulo are likely too far behind in fifth and sixth, though a strong second half could see fourth-placed Internacional ruffle a few feathers at the top.

The only credible challenge, at this point, comes from reigning champions Palmeiras, who have...