• Filipe Luis of Flamengo controls the ball during the match between Flamengo and Bangu as part of the Carioca State Championship at Maracana Stadium on Thursday night as football resumed in Brazil. Getty
    Filipe Luis of Flamengo controls the ball during the match between Flamengo and Bangu as part of the Carioca State Championship at Maracana Stadium on Thursday night as football resumed in Brazil. Getty
  • The Maracana Stadium before the match between Flamengo and Bangu in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Getty
    The Maracana Stadium before the match between Flamengo and Bangu in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Getty
  • Bangu goalkeeper Luciano during the halftime of the Carioca Championship match against Flamengo at the Maracana Stadium. AFP
    Bangu goalkeeper Luciano during the halftime of the Carioca Championship match against Flamengo at the Maracana Stadium. AFP
  • Flamengo player Gabriel Barbosa during the Carioca Championshi match at the Maracana Stadium. AFP
    Flamengo player Gabriel Barbosa during the Carioca Championshi match at the Maracana Stadium. AFP
  • Flamengo and Bangu players fight for the ball in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
    Flamengo and Bangu players fight for the ball in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
  • A steward wearing PPE controls the pitch access of the Maracana Stadium on Thursday. AFP
    A steward wearing PPE controls the pitch access of the Maracana Stadium on Thursday. AFP
  • Flamengo players exercise at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
    Flamengo players exercise at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP
  • Maracana Stadium staff wear face mask shields during the match between Flamengo and Bangu. Getty
    Maracana Stadium staff wear face mask shields during the match between Flamengo and Bangu. Getty
  • Empty seats with orange jerseys during a practice session prior to the opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Friday. AP
    Empty seats with orange jerseys during a practice session prior to the opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Friday. AP
  • A man stands at the empty seats with orange jerseys prior to an opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome. Japan's professional baseball regular season kicked off Friday without fans in attendance. AP
    A man stands at the empty seats with orange jerseys prior to an opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome. Japan's professional baseball regular season kicked off Friday without fans in attendance. AP
  • Tokyo dome during a practice session prior to the opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome. AP
    Tokyo dome during a practice session prior to the opening baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers at Tokyo Dome. AP
  • A photographer walks though empty seats with orange jerseys at Tokyo Dome. AP
    A photographer walks though empty seats with orange jerseys at Tokyo Dome. AP
  • Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara warms up at Tokyo Dome. AP
    Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara warms up at Tokyo Dome. AP
  • Players of the Hanshin Tigers warm up at the Tokyo Dome. AP
    Players of the Hanshin Tigers warm up at the Tokyo Dome. AP

Other Sport

From baseball in Tokyo to football at the Maracana, sport returns behind closed doors - in pictures

Flamengo beat Bangu in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night

The National

June 19, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Brazilian football resumed after a three-month hiatus on Thursday night, with Flamengo beating Bangu 3-0 at an empty Maracana Stadium in the first game of the restarted Rio de Janeiro state championship.

The match marked the return of Brazil's state leagues, most of which were halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the other state championships have not yet set a date for resumption.

The restart in Brazil has caused controversy, with top clubs Botafogo and Fluminense saying they will not turn up for scheduled games this weekend.

Another 1,238 people were reported to have died in Brazil on Thursday from Covid-19, taking the overall death count to 47,748.

Meanwhile, Japan's professional baseball season began behind closed doors on Friday, three months after the originally scheduled start.

The country's 12 professional baseball teams were scheduled to play six games across Japan.

J-league top-flight football will resume on July 4 after the season was suspended in February. The pandemic has already forced a one-year delay to the summer Tokyo Olympics, and suspended everything from sumo to the summer high-school baseball tournament.

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