The dream of a first-ever Brazilian junior title has been postponed for at least another year. Flamengo, once again, conceded a goal in the final minutes and ended up losing to Atlético Mineiro, 2-1, in a quarterfinal match of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, played this Friday afternoon in Rio Grande do Sul. Galo, the reigning champion of the Belo Horizonte Cup, faces Fluminense in the semifinals, while the red-and-black youth squad is officially on vacation.

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Heavy marking, intense sun, many misplaced passes, a very poor pitch, and little football. That's how the first half of the match between Urubu and Galo played out in Santa Maria. What was expected to be the highest-level match of the competition so far ended up not living up to expectations. At least, in the first 45 minutes. The game started with Atlético playing better, trying to maximize possession and looking to open the scoring, but it was Flamengo who scored, right at the end of the first half.

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In the 41st minute, Diego Maurício, always him, delivered a superb pass behind the Minas Gerais defense, leaving Saba one-on-one with the goal. The number 17 got past a defender and was brought down: a penalty, which he himself took to make Flamengo 1-0.

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But the victory was short-lived. Early in the second half, Galo equalized thanks to a poor positioning by the Flamengo defense. After a cross from the left, the ball fell to Wescley, who was free, who fired a diagonal shot and leveled the score. From then on, the match became lukewarm and seemed headed for penalties. Flamengo, in fact, calmly passed the ball around, seemingly unwilling to seek victory, and they were ultimately punished for it.

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In the final minute of regulation time in the second half, as happened in the red-and-black team's first three matches in the competition, Atlético conceded the goal that eliminated them from the Brazilian Championship. Due to another defensive lapse, Atlético managed to turn the match around with a well-placed shot from Breno, sending the Minas Gerais team into the next round of the competition.