The –Atlérivalry between Flamengo and Atlético Mineiro is a footballing rivalry played between Brazilian clubs Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, from Rio de Janeiro, and Clube Atlético Mineiro, from Belo Horizonte. The clubs first played against each other in 1929, but until regular competitions were introduced in Brazilian football in 1959, the encounters were played at friendly level, since they come from different states: Flamengo is from Rio de Janeiro, while Atlético Mineiro hails from Minas Gerais. The rivalry developed in the 1980s from numerous controversial encounters between the two clubs in that decade's Brasileirão and Copa Libertadores editions. It remained through the following years, and is considered the biggest interstate rivalry in Brazilian football.
History
The first encounter between the two teams happened on 16 June 1929, a friendly in Atlético's home ground, the Presidente Antônio Carlos stadium, which Flamengo won 3–2. Atlético's first victory came in 1934, 3–1 in Rio de Janeiro, also in friendly game. The first regular national championship in Brazilian football was the Taça Brasil, introduced in 1959. Until then, matches between clubs from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais were mostly friendly, with an exception happening during the 1937 Copa dos Campeões Estaduais. The first time Flamengo and Atlético played for a national competition was on 2 April 1967, for that year's Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, a match which Atlético won 3–1 at the Mineirão. The clubs also took part in the Torneio do Povo, a competition organised by the Brazilian Sports Confederation from 1971 to 1973 between Brazil's most popular football clubs. Flamengo won the 1972 edition of the tournament, played in a single round-robin, with Atlético Mineiro finishing as runner-up.
A charity match played between the two clubs in 1979, in which Pelé played for Flamengo, helped ignite the rivalry. The match was won by the Rio de Janeiro club 5–1, and Atlético Mineiro players were irritated by what they saw as "excessive force" for a friendly game. The rivalry, however, truly commenced in the 1980s, when both Atlético and Flamengo had strong teams and provided many players to the Brazil national team. In 1980, the teams were finalists of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Atlético's third final and Flamengo's first. Atlético had the best record in the first stages of the competition, but Flamengo had the best one in the second, which meant the latter could tie the final series to win the title. Atlético won the first leg 1–0 at the Mineirão, but in the second leg, played at the Maracanã, Flamengo won 3–2 with a late goal by Nunes and won its first Série A. During the match, three Atlético players were sent off, among them Reinaldo, who received a straight red card after scoring twice.
As Brasileirão champion and runner-up, both clubs qualified for the 1981 Copa Libertadores, in which they were drawn in a group with Paraguayan teams Olimpia and Cerro Porteño. The two encounters between the Brazilian clubs ended 2–2, and both won two and drew two matches against the Paraguayans. A play-off match in a neutral stadium had to be played between Atlético and Flamengo to decide which one would advance to the semifinals.
The match was played on 21 August at the Serra Dourada Stadium, in Goiânia, a ground selected by Flamengo. Atlético chose the referee of the encounter, José Roberto Wright. In the match, Atlético forward and best player Reinaldo received a straight red card from after fouling Flamengo's Zico at 33 minutes, in what was described as a "normal" foul and "without much violence". After the foul, Wright then sent off Atlético player Éder for complaining, after which the game was stopped. A turmoil started, in which Atlético's Palhinha and Chicão were also sent off, for insulting the referee. Left with seven players, Atlético's goalkeeper João Leite simulated an injury at the restart of the match, but Wright refused to stop the game. Atlético defender Osmar then held the ball with his hands, preventing the restart, for which he too was sent off and the match ended at the 37-minute mark, because Atlético had less than seven players on the field. The match ended in a 0–0 draw, which meant qualification for Flamengo, as it had the best goal difference in the group stage.