FLAMENGO CREATE, VINÍCIUS JÚNIOR PARTICIPATES IN PRANK BY PRETENDING TO BE A STATUE IN A WAX MUSEUM

The Brazilian Under-20 team returns to the field this Sunday (8) to face Mexico in an international friendly. The match will be held at the São Januário stadium, home of Vasco da Gama, in Rio de Janeiro, starting at 6:30 pm (Brasília time). In the last meeting between the teams, held on Thursday (5), Brazil emerged victorious 2-1.

Among those called up for the Brazilian Under-20 Team, four Flamengo athletes stand out: Iago, João Victor, Matheus Gonçalves and Rayan Lucas. These players are important options for coach Ramon Menezes, who is looking to test different formations and evaluate the squad with an eye on the U20 South American Championship, scheduled for January 2025, in Peru.

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BRAZIL LOOKS FOR NEW VICTORY

In the first friendly against Mexico, Brazil had difficulties in the first half, but managed to turn the game around in the final stage, with goals by Arthur Dias and Rayan Lucas. Now, the expectation is that coach Ramon Menezes will carry out new tests and give opportunities to other athletes, aiming to prepare for the U20 South American Championship, which will also serve as a qualifier for the category's World Cup.

LIVE TRANSMISSION ON SPORTV

Fans will be able to follow the match live on the SporTV channel, starting at 6:30 pm. This friendly match is part of the preparatory phase of the selection, which seeks to adjust the team for future competitions.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

< BRAZIL: Henrique; Pedro Lima, Arthur Dias, Bordon and Leonardo; Bidon, Moscardo and Rayan Lucas; Deivid Washington, Wesley and Vitor Roque. Coach: Ramon Menezes.

MEXICO: Lara; Bustos, Méndez, Diego Ochoa and Pachuca; Garza, Sánchez, Morales (Moreno) and Rico; Jimenez and Mateo Levy. Coach: Eduardo Arce.

Due to his prominence at Real Madrid and being among the finalists for the Ballon d'Or, Vinícius Júnior ends up dealing with great expectations from the Brazilian public whenever he defends the Brazilian team. However, according to Dorival Júnior, it is necessary to measure one's hopes and demands and be patient for the attacker to repeat his feats with Amarelinha.

The former Flamengo coach also highlighted in a press conference after the victory against Ecuador, which Vini Jr has recently faced a scenario similar to what Neymar has faced since he came into football: being responsible for solving Brazil's problems.

"We want to see the athlete producing at all times, in every moment in the same way he does at the club. We have cycles within the clubs, there are moments when Rodrygo will be the highlight for a month, two months, soon Vini will enter this same condition... We are at the beginning of the season, we can't forget that", pondered Dorival, before completing:

"We always generate great expectations from boys who are still in the process of completing training and physical recovery. It's been an exhausting year. We need to be very calm. This is the same expectation generated by Neymar, who at all times had to be the solution to our problems", said the Canarinho coach.

VINI JR WITH THE BRAZILIAN SELECTION

In the last Copa América, Vini Jr's performance was not well received by the fans. This is because, despite the striker having scored two goals in the victory against Paraguay, in the first phase, he was suspended for accumulating yellow cards, leaving him out. elimination against Uruguay, in the quarter-finals.

At just 24 years old and playing for the main team since 2019, Vinícius Júnior has already played 34 games, but scored just five goals, different numbers from his last seasons with Real Madrid.

Flamengo continues to strengthen itself with new signings. However, in addition to signing experienced players who have spent time in Europe, Mais Querido is also renewing the contracts of younger players. One of them is Dyogo Alves, an under-20 archer, who had his contract renewed.

“The Garoto do Ninho Dyogo Alves renewed his contract with Mengão until December 2026. We wish him much success with the Sacred Mantle”, posted the Flamengo on social media. In addition to the message, Rubro-Negro also shared the recording of the moment the young archer signed the new contract.

Dyogo Alves is considered one of Flamengo's great promises. At the moment, the young man is Rossi's reserve alongside Matheus Cunha. However, Flamengo believes in the archer's potential to stand out for the club.

RELATED FOR THE U-20 WORLD CUP

At the disposal of Filipe Luís , the 20-year-old goalkeeper did not travel with the Mais Querido delegation to La Paz, Bolivia. This is because the archer took part in training with the under-20 squad in preparation for the category's World Cup final.

< So, Flamengo takes to the field this Saturday afternoon (24), at 4pm, for the World Cup against Olympiacos, at Maracanã. Filipe Luís will lead the team in his first international competition.