On the eve of the match against São Caetano, in the third round of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup, coach Gilmar Popoca highlighted the importance of team play, which, when implemented effectively, naturally brings out individual talents and shines. It seemed like a prediction. In their best performance so far in the competition, the "Garotos do Ninho" dominated the field and defeated the strong São Caetano team by a comfortable 3-0 (Jean Lucas, Dener, and Jardeu). Ever stronger in the Copinha, their next opponent will be Cruzeiro, on Sunday (January 15.01) at 19:45 pm, again at the Prefeito José Liberatti Stadium in Osasco. The match, already part of the round of XNUMX of the tournament, will be broadcast live on SporTV, ESPN Brasil, and Rede Vida.

"I never tire of saying: no one wins anything alone. Even to survive, we need each other. Collectiveness is a determining factor in football. You always need to play together, to fight for your teammate. Our team has scored 17 goals in five games, and our top scorer has only three goals. This is something I preach daily to these boys, and I'm truly delighted to see everything we've trained being put into practice. Today we played a great game, facing a very quality opponent. We knew how to control the game and dominated the action, always keeping our nerves in check. I want to thank everyone. We'll celebrate a lot, but only until we go to bed. Starting tomorrow, we'll be focused on Cruzeiro, which is another great opponent," said coach Gilmar Popoca.

The construction of the Flamengo's solid victory began in the 9th minute. Patrick took a free kick into the box, and on the rebound, Jean Lucas hit a beautiful first-time shot, surprising the goalkeeper and opening the scoring. In the 16th minute, Gabriel Batista made an important save against a dangerous São Caetano attack. Confident, in the 26th minute, Jean Lucas attempted a difficult first-time shot that sailed over the goal. In the 30th minute, it was Vinícius Junior's turn to almost score. Flamengo was in control, but the first half ended with a narrow advantage.

"Our team is doing very well in this competition. Today, in my room, I was focused from the moment I woke up, thinking exclusively about this match against São Caetano, against whom we had already played in the first phase and had many difficulties. Thank God I was able to contribute with my teammates with a good performance, and on top of that, I scored a goal. Now we're going to rest and concentrate hard for another very difficult match against Cruzeiro," said Jean Lucas, who had a great performance in the match.

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The second half began as the first had ended: with the Mais Querido pressing. Just two minutes in, Theo nearly extended the lead with a well-placed shot from outside the box. In the fifth minute, Vinícius Junior made a great individual play and was only stopped by a foul. He took the shot himself, and the ball nearly ended up in the back of the net after being deflected by the wall. In the 13th minute, there was no way out. Vinícius Junior sent a corner kick to the head of captain Dener, who rose with style and made no mistake. The 2-0 scoreline gave the Garotos do Ninho more peace of mind on the field and also the fans, who turned out in excellent numbers, filling the stands at the Prefeito José Liberatti Stadium. In the 40th minute, Hugo Moura unleashed a superb long-range shot that bounced off goalkeeper Wagner's post. As the clock ran out, forward Jardeu, who had come off the bench, persisted and grabbed his own rebound to score the third and seal the final score.

"I'm very happy to see that our defense has conceded few goals and demonstrated great confidence and consistency throughout the competition. Rafael is a great defender, he gives us incredible calm on the field, but the truth is that our marking starts up front, with the effort of our forwards and midfielders. Our goal is to maintain this same level of performance, especially from now on, as the competition narrows and the level of our opponents increases even more," said captain Dener, who also spoke about the feeling of scoring another goal wearing the Sacred Mantle. "It's a wonderful feeling. I've been a Flamengo fan since I was little, and bringing joy to this wonderful crowd makes me extremely happy. I'm also grateful for the support of my family, who have always cheered me on. Let's move forward; we're getting stronger and more focused every day," concluded the Flamengo captain.