Fluminense Beat Palmeiras 3-2 in Brasileirão Série A as Cano Strikes Late at Maracanã

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Fluminense came from behind twice to beat league leaders Palmeiras 3-2 at the Maracanã in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Round 23. Germán Cano scored in second-half stoppage time to complete a dramatic turnaround under interim coach Marcão, ending an eight-match winless streak in the league and keeping the Tricolor in fourth place with 38 points. Palmeiras remain atop the Série A table with 48 points despite the loss.

Palmeiras struck first through Gustavo Gómez and retook the lead in the second half through substitute Maurício, but goals from Hulk, Kevin Serna, and Cano — two of them from players who came off the bench — turned the afternoon into one of the round’s defining results.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reports from Terra Esporte, Placar, UOL Esporte, and CNN Brasil, August 15, 2026. Standings figures reflect the table immediately after Round 23.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	Campeonato Brasileiro Série A — Round 23
Date	Saturday, August 15, 2026
Venue	Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro
Kickoff	4:30 p.m. Brasília time (7:30 p.m. UTC)
Final score	Fluminense 3–2 Palmeiras

Goal timeline

Minute	Team	Scorer	Score
9’ (1st half)	Palmeiras	Gustavo Gómez	0–1
42’ (1st half)	Fluminense	Hulk	1–1
36’ (2nd half)	Palmeiras	Maurício	1–2
39’ (2nd half)	Fluminense	Kevin Serna	2–2
46’ (2nd half, stoppage time)	Fluminense	Germán Cano	3–2

How the game unfolded

First half: Palmeiras lead, Hulk levels

Palmeiras moved in front early when Gustavo Gómez finished from close range in the ninth minute, giving the league leaders the advantage in a fixture that carried extra weight at the top of the Brasileirão standings.

Fluminense pressed for a response as the half wore on. In the 42nd minute, Hulk found the equalizer to send the teams into the break at 1-1 — a scoreline that reflected a tense, open contest between two sides also juggling Copa Libertadores commitments.

Second half: Substitutes decide it

The second period grew scrappier, with both teams hunting errors rather than rhythm. Palmeiras looked to have landed the decisive blow in the 36th minute when Flaco López flicked on a header and Maurício, on for Andreas Pereira, struck powerfully from the edge of the area to make it 1-2.

Marcão’s bench answered within three minutes. Guga crossed from the right, Cano headed against the post, and Kevin Serna — another substitute — followed up to force the ball home at 2-2.

The Maracanã erupted in stoppage time. At the 46th minute of the second half, Martinelli met Guga’s cross with a header toward goal; Cano diverted it past Carlos Miguel with a glancing header to seal 3-2 and complete Fluminense’s comeback.

Updated Série A standings

Position	Club	Points	Round 23 context
1st	Palmeiras	48	Remain leaders despite defeat
4th	Fluminense	38	Hold G4 place; win ends 8-game drought
5th	Cruzeiro	33*	*After Round 22; subject to Round 23 results

Palmeiras’ cushion at the summit narrowed on a day when chasing clubs could still pick up points elsewhere in the round. For Fluminense, the three points offered immediate relief after a difficult league run since returning from the Club World Cup break — a stretch that had included the dismissal of Luis Zubeldía and Marcão’s appointment as interim manager.

What it means for both clubs

Fluminense: momentum restored

A home win over the league leaders carries symbolic and practical weight. Fluminense had drawn 0-0 with Independiente Rivadavia in the Libertadores round-of-16 opener four days earlier and entered the Palmeiras fixture needing a domestic lift.

The victory showed the value of squad depth: Serna and Cano, both introduced from the bench, combined for the goals that flipped the result. Holding fourth place keeps Fluminense inside the G4 zone that guarantees a Copa Libertadores group berth next season.

Palmeiras: leaders stumble but stay on top

For Abel Ferreira’s side, conceding twice in the final quarter-hour will frustrate a squad that had drawn 0-0 with Cerro Porteño in the Libertadores first leg on August 12. Palmeiras created enough to win — Gómez and Maurício both found the net — but defensive lapses at the Maracanã cost them two points.

At 48 points, the Verdão still control the Série A race, though rivals playing later in Round 23 could narrow the gap.

What’s next

Both clubs pivot quickly to continental football before returning to domestic duty:

Club	Next fixture	Competition
Fluminense	Tue., Aug. 18 — at Independiente Rivadavia	Libertadores round of 16, 2nd leg
Palmeiras	Wed., Aug. 19 — at Cerro Porteño	Libertadores round of 16, 2nd leg

In Brasileirão Round 24, Fluminense host Remo on Saturday, August 22, while Palmeiras visit Vasco da Gama on Sunday, August 23.

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Discussion

A Saturday afternoon at the Maracanã can reshape the Série A picture in ninety minutes — and this one did, even if Palmeiras never surrendered first place.

1. Palmeiras led twice and still lost. Was this a failure of game management late on, or did Marcão’s substitutions simply win the tactical battle?

How much of the comeback belongs to individual quality from Serna and Cano versus Palmeiras dropping off after Maurício’s goal?

2. Fluminense ended an eight-match winless run with a win over the league leaders — but they remain only in fourth. Does this result change expectations for the rest of the Brasileirão campaign, or is it relief rather than a turning point?

With Libertadores knockout football midweek, can they sustain this level on two fronts?

Share where you think Fluminense and Palmeiras finish the 2026 season — and whether Cano’s stoppage-time header will be remembered as the moment the Tricolor’s league form turned.

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