FLAMENGO BEATS PORTUGUESE 3-2 AND CONTINUES IN THE LEAD OF THE GUANABARA U-20 CUP

A crucial victory for Garotos do Ninho in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship. After two negative results, Flamengo beat Bahia 2-0, this Tuesday, at the Reitor Edgard Santos stadium (BA). The goals of the match were scored by Nigerian striker Shola.

With this result, the team led by coach Filipe Luís moved up the leaderboard and remained in the group of eight clubs that advance to the next stage. Mais Querido's next commitment will be against Athletico-PR, next Wednesday (10), at 3pm, in Gávea.

ATTENTIVE START AND DECISIVE GOALS

Needing to get back to scoring points in the championship, Mengão was focused from the start. With good plays on the sides of the field, the team opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a great run from Shola, who finished with precision.

Reinforced by athletes who were suspended, such as Iago and Jean Carlos, and others who served the professional team, such as goalkeeper Dyogo Alves and Rayan Lucas, the team maintained the pace and, ten minutes later, increased the score. After a deep ball from Felipe Teresa, Shola advanced quickly and scored his second goal of the match.

CONTROL OF THE GAME IN THE SECOND HALFWith the favorable score, the red and blacks managed to maintain the rhythm in the second half and knew how to hold off any type of reaction from the opponent. Coach Filipe Luís, around the 35th minute, made five changes, calming the game and guaranteeing three fundamental points.

NEXT MATCH

Flamengo returns to the field next Wednesday (10), where they will face Athletico-PR in Gávea, seeking to maintain their good form and guarantee their classification for the next phase of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship.

Striker Shola, who plays for the under-20s of Flamengo, lives his last days as a Mais Querido player. This is because the athlete has a loan with the club and does not know whether his contract will be renewed. Therefore, many clubs are already watching the young man, but have not yet made an offer.

Sola's staff revealed to journalist Gabriel Orphão, from the Paparazzo Rubro-Negro channel, that there is no offer for the striker from Rio clubs. . Furthermore, the young man's manager said he was waiting for Flamengoand respecting the terms of the current contract.

"I don't have that information (proposal from Rio clubs for Shola). We are waiting for Flamengo and respecting the terms of the agreement. Let's go wait until the last day of the contract. Shola is very happy", highlighted the athlete's staff.

END OF CONTRACT

Shola is on loan to Flamengo until the day July 31st. The young man belongs to Remo Stars, from Nigeria and Mais Querido can exercise the option to purchase the attacker for 500 thousand dollars (R$ 2.7 million), for 70% of the athlete's economic rights.

WITHDRAWAL FROM ATLÉTICO-MG

The young man received an offer from Atlético-MG, however, according to journalist Lucas Tanaka, the team from Minas Gerais decided to give up on hiring Shola. The reason for the withdrawal was the "auction" for the player, which ended up inflating his value.

Flamengo continues negotiating with Lazio in Italy, the terms of the midfielder's loan Marcos Antônio. One of the main points of discussion between the clubs is the mandatory purchase clause, which the Italian club wants to impose if the player plays in 50% of the matches during the loan period. Rubro-Negro, in turn, did not accept this condition and is trying to adjust the definition of "games" to this goal.

This lack of definition has been one of the main obstacles in negotiations, as Flamengo seeks greater flexibility in the conditions that would force the athlete to purchase. Another important point under discussion is the value of the purchase option. The expectation is that Flamengo will pay between 5 and 6 million euros (approximately R$30.4 to R$36.4 million at current prices), in addition to additional bonuses, to acquire Marcos Antônio permanently.

FLAMENGO AND ITS DEFINITION BY THE NEW REINFORCEMENT

Flamengo is carefully evaluating the numbers involved in the transaction. The club seeks to balance investments to reinforce the squad without compromising its finances. Marcos Antônio is a young midfielder who stood out in European football. A graduate of Athletico-PR's youth teams, he transferred to Estoril, in Portugal, before arriving at Lazio, in Italy. His technical ability and game vision caught the attention of Flamengo, who see the player as a potential reinforcement for the team led by Tite.

Negotiations between Flamengo and Lazio should continue in the coming days. The expectation is that both parties will reach an agreement that is satisfactory to everyone involved. Meanwhile, Flamengo remains attentive to the transfer market, looking for reinforcements that can contribute to the continuation of the season.