The red-black base showed its strength again. In matches valid for the 8th round of the U-15 and U-17 Rio Cup, played last Saturday (16), two triumphs of the Mais Querido against Vasco da Gama. The clashes took place at the Los Larios stadium and kept both teams in the lead of the second round of the State Championship.

In the under-17 derby, action only took place in the second half after a well-studied first half by both teams. The match remained evenly matched in the second half, but with the net shaking. In the 17th minute, Wendel got past three defenders and had his shot saved by the opposing goalkeeper. On the rebound, Luan finished accurately into the left corner to open the scoring.

Vasco equalized in the 25th minute. However, capitalizing on a moment of pressure in the attacking half, they regained the lead with a goal from Yuri, completing a great pass from Matheus. The score held until the end, taking the Mais Querido to 22 points, with seven wins and one draw so far.

The Garotos do Ninho U-15 team has also performed exceptionally well in the competition. The 1-0 victory, with a goal by Lázaro, maintains their 100% record in the Taça Rio and further isolates Flamengo at the top with 24 points and a whopping 28 goals scored and just 3 conceded.

In the next round, both categories will take to the field to face the Volta Redonda team. The matches will be played next Saturday (23), in Gávea. Another big challenge in the season is approaching for the under-17 team, which will make its Copa do Brasil debut in Fortaleza against Ceará.