FLAMENGO DEFEATS NÁUTICO AND ADVANCES ANOTHER STAGE IN COPINHA

The Flamengo takes the field in this Thursday (26), at 2:45 pm (Brasília time), to face Boavista in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Carioca Under-20 Championship. The match will be decisive for Rubro-Negro's aspirations in the state of the category, as the club seeks to break a four-year fast without winning the title. As they finished the qualifying phase in second place, the team led by Filipe Luís enters the field with the advantage of a draw to guarantee their place in the final.

Flamengo should start the match with the following lineup: Caio Barone in goal; Daniel Sales, João Victor, Felipe Vieira and Carbone on the defensive line; Rayan Lucas, Caio Garcia, Fabiano and Guilherme in midfield; and Felipe Teresa and Rafael Couto in attack. The expectation is for a balanced game, considering the 1-1 draw in the first clash between the two teams. If Rubro-Negro qualifies, they will face the winner of the other semi-final, which is being played between Vasco and Fluminense, in another Rio classic.

In the duel on the way, Flamengo started well and opened the score in the 18th minute with Guilherme Gomes. However, the Boavista team managed to react quickly and tied the game five minutes later with Rivas' goal, leaving the match open for decision at the Estádio da Gávea. With the score level and the red-black advantage due to the draw in the second round, Filipe Luís's men know that they need to maintain control of the game and take advantage of opportunities to avoid surprises.

Flamengo arrives under pressure for the confrontation, as they have not won the Carioca Under-20 Championship since 2019, when they defeated Vasco in the final. Since then, the Crias do Ninho have accumulated frustrated participation in the competition, and now they have the chance to regain their leading role on the state scene. Furthermore, the early elimination in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, after the defeat to Fortaleza in the quarter-finals, increased the need for a good campaign at Carioca to close the season in a positive way.

It's decision day for Flamengo football this Thursday (26). Just like the professional team, Mengão's U-17 team seeks to advance to the semifinals, however, of the category's Brasileirão. Against Fluminense, the Garotos do Ninho need to win away from home to continue their dream of winning the third championship. The ball rolls at 3pm, broadcast by SporTV.

After the 1-1 draw in the first leg, in Gávea, last Thursday (19), the team led by coach Eduardo Zuma has two important returns for the decisive quarter-final match. Right-back Wanderson, vice-top scorer in the Brasileirão, returns after being ill, in addition to midfielder Pablo, who has recovered from an ankle injury and is available to the coach, as the coach himself said in his participation in the Garotos Do Ninho program. , last Monday (23).

“We have been training hard during the week, correcting the mistakes we made in the first match to have an excellent game there, and, God willing, leave with the classification which is what matters most” commented Joshua, who became the U17's top scorer after scoring Mengão's goal in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

This is the Sub's third Fla-Flu -17 in 2024. In the first, for the Copa Rio, 3-0 Flamengo in Xerém with goals from Joshua, Douglas Telles and Pablo, who scored with a free kick from midfield. At 3pm, the judge will count down the last 90 minutes of the decision clock, which will be broadcast on SporTV. Up, Nest Boys!

Flamengo always keeps an eye on the market in search of strengthening and capturing talent for the youth categories. Thus, after the end of the Copa Rio U-15, Rubro-Negro signed Rafa Tenório, Resende's number 10.

After observing Rafa Tenório's performance in the Copa Rio, Flamengo acted quickly and signed the athlete. According to Coluna do Fla, the midfielder signed a three-year contract with Mengão, that is, until 2027. The 15-year-old athlete has already started activities with the Fla squad this Wednesday (03), at CT Ninho do Urubu.

Rafa was one of the main players in the Copa Rio U15. The midfielder scored ten goals and, with that, became the tournament's second top scorer. It is important to emphasize that the athlete reached this mark even with Resende only playing in the first phase of the championship.

Rafa Tenório is 15 years old and is a resident of Volta Redonda. And it was precisely on the team in the city where he lives that the athlete began to take his first steps in football. With good performances for the team from the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the midfielder caught Flamengo's attention.

First of all, this will be Rafa Tenório's second stint in the Rubro-Negro youth categories . After that, the young man transferred to Fluminense and, finally, arrived at Resende, where he was the team's number 10 during the Copa Rio U-15.