Marquinhos, Fabio Baiano, Djalminha, and André Cruz scored Flamengo's goals in Thursday night's 6-4 victory over Fluminense. No, the previous sentence isn't a trip back in time. All these stars were actually together recently in Petrópolis, playing a qualifying match in the Rio-São Paulo Showbol Tournament.

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The stars who made history for Flamengo, the current Brazilian Showbol champions, had already defeated Botafogo 9-6 in the Rio-SP opener, and now they've claimed another victim: the Tricolores. Despite falling behind in the first half, the red and black team, whose star player is number 10 Djalminha, named the best player in the world in the sport, imposed their rhythm in the final period and left the field with a 6-4 lead.

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The result leaves Flamengo in first place in the group, which includes the four major clubs in Rio de Janeiro. They need only a draw on Sunday against Vasco da Gama to secure their spot and advance to the semifinals against the two top-ranked teams in the São Paulo group. Fluminense and Botafogo have already been eliminated. It's worth noting that last season, Flamengo finished second in this tournament, losing the final to Santos.

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"It was great to take the lead, we're qualified, but now we'll play Vasco to try to confirm our first place. The important thing is to be in the semifinals. Now we'll rest, because there's more on Sunday," said Djalminha, the red-and-black conductor and captain.