The heroic victory over Vasco last Wednesday (March 24.03) at Gávea, besides giving Flamengo the lead in the Campeonato Carioca de Juniores (Rio de Janeiro Junior Championship), also served to further motivate the young Flamengo players. Coach Armênio Moura praised the great performance of his players, who excelled even with a man down, but also emphasized the importance of forgetting this victory. After all, his team already has another derby this weekend.

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Tactical discipline is essential in soccer from an early age. Flamengo's youth team is no exception. And according to Armênio, this factor was crucial for the Red-Blacks to turn things around in the match against Vasco. The team left the field at halftime with a man down and trailing 1-0, but returned motivated for the second half, earning three red cards, and turning the match around to 2-1.

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"The first half's result doesn't reflect the game's overall performance. Our team pressed, played well, but ended up conceding that goal. We changed our approach in the second half, and the players deserve all the credit for the victory. They followed my tactical instructions to the letter, and that was crucial," he analyzed.

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Despite the praise, the coach wants his team to consider the match against Vasco da Gama a thing of the past this Thursday. Flamengo, the leader of the U-20 State Championship with 26 points, returns to action next Saturday at 10 a.m. against Botafogo. The black-and-white team is a direct rival in the title race.

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"Botafogo is a team that puts a lot of pressure on playing at home; they're a direct opponent, and we can't let our guard down. We've proven that nothing beats one day after the other. We lost the lead in the loss to Madureira, and today we regained it. Now it's time to keep working hard and continue the work," he said.

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Decisive Diegos
Anyone who's been watching Flamengo's youth team games will have noticed that the players wearing the numbers 8 and 10 have a chemistry that goes far beyond the official records. Flamengo's two Diegos have been crucial to the team's campaign in the State Championship. Midfielder Dieguinho and top scorer Diego Maurício are considered key players in this group.

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"They're a duo that complements each other. One is a playmaker, the other a finisher, so Dieguinho provides Diego Maurício with ammunition. Their chemistry is undoubtedly very important and has been fundamental to our campaign so far," he concluded.