Flamengo's situation in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship got a bit more complicated early this evening. In the preliminary match of Group 4 of the competition, being played in Santa Rosa, Rio Grande do Sul, the group leaders, Goiás, and Coritiba, drew 1-1, reaching six points in the standings. Flamengo has three and plays shortly, at 19 pm, against Náutico, at the same venue. A simple victory, however, won't guarantee the team from Gávea a spot in the next round. Mengão needs to win by two goals to qualify.

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The tiebreaker criteria, in case of ties in points, are, in order: number of wins, goal difference, goals scored, goals conceded, and yellow cards. Coritiba has already secured its spot in the quarterfinals with this afternoon's result. But it wasn't easy. The Paraná team and Goiás tied in almost every aspect except cards, where the southern team had the advantage, having received one fewer caution than its opponents.

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Coritiba and Goiás each scored six and conceded four goals. In other words, both teams finished their participation in the competition with a balance of two goals, one win, and three draws, totaling six points. Therefore, Flamengo and Náutico still have a chance to qualify this Wednesday night. The winner of this duel is very likely to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. For Mengão to secure its ticket to the next stage, the math is simple.

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Coach Armênio Moura's team has already scored five goals and, obviously, conceded five goals, with a goal difference of zero. After all, the team has only drawn in the competition: three draws in three matches so far. If they beat Náutico, Flamengo will also have the same number of wins as Coritiba and Goiás. The decision, therefore, will come down to goal difference. Flamengo needs to beat the Pernambuco team by a two-goal margin. This would equal the goal difference of the green and white teams, but would have the upper hand in goals scored.