Flamengo's under-17 team will face Fluminense in the Carioca semi-final

Photos: Adriano Fontes/CRF (cover) and Nelson Costa/CRF

The Boys of the Nest will be present on three fronts to dispute elimination games, all return games, this Saturday (21). In the under-20 category, the opponent will be Madureira, at 15 pm, in Gávea, for the third phase of the OPG Tournament. The under-17 and under-15 boys enter the field to try to get a place in the Carioca decisions, against Fluminense, at 10 am, in Gávea, and against Vasco, away from home, at 14:45 pm, at Nivaldo Pereira Stadium, in Nova Iguaçu, respectively.

Seeking qualification for the fourth round of the OPG, Flamengo faces Madureira, having beaten the same opponent 2-1 in the first leg in Conselheiro Galvão. Defender Yago and midfielder Fred scored in the 25th and 45th minutes of the first half, respectively. The opponent pulled one back in the second but failed to mount a comeback.

The opponent in the OPG will come from the match between Fluminense and Nova Iguaçu. In the first match, the team from Baixada Fluminense won 1-0, away from home, in Xerém. The second match will be on Friday (20), at 10 am, at the Nova Iguaçu CT.

In the Carioca U-17 semifinal, the mission will be to take the advantage of the opponent. The Red-Black team was defeated 1-0 by Fluminense at the Marcelo Vieira Stadium in Xerém in the first leg, after conceding an early goal. The advantage is that it will decide one of the final spots in Gávea.

In the other group, Vasco defeated Botafogo 1-0 at Nivaldo Pereira Stadium. The return leg will be this Saturday at 10 a.m. at Nilton Santos Stadium.

In the match against Vasco da Gama, in the duel for a spot in the final of the U-15 Carioca Championship, the facts were reversed. Playing at home, Flamengo defeated their rival 3-2 in Gávea, in a tightly contested match. João Fernandes' team took the lead in the 9th minute through Guilherme and conceded an equalizer seven minutes later. Guilherme scored again in the first half in the 28th minute, and Nathan doubled the lead in the 8th minute of the second. The opponent, however, pulled one back in the 29th.

The other spot in the semifinal is between Botafogo and Fluminense. In the first match, last Thursday (19), at Nilton Santos, Tricolor won 1-0. The second game is scheduled for Sunday (22), at 9 am, in Xerém.

In addition to this weekend's matches, the Flamengo U16 team is competing for the Copa Rio title against Vasco. Playing at Gávea Stadium, Flamengo lost 3-1 in the first leg of the final. The decisive match is scheduled for the 29th at 10 am at Nivaldo Pereira Stadium.