On the day that Clube de Regatas do Flamengo celebrates the 35th anniversary of its greatest achievement in history, the 1981 Interclub World Cup title with no fewer than eight starting players trained in the club's youth academy, the "Garotos do Ninho" (Flamengo's "Garotos do Ninho") showed that the saying "Flamengo makes great players at home" is still very much alive. In another stellar performance in the Copa RS Internacional, the "Mais Querido" defeated Ponte Preta 3-0 (Lincoln, Lucas Silva, and Vinícius Junior), and for the first time qualified for the semifinals of this important international competition.

Flamengo entered the field with three absences: Dener and Jean Lucas, suspended for two yellow cards, and Patrick, who suffered a blow to the face late in the match against Santos, but this isn't a concern for the rest of the competition. This is another good opportunity for the group to show its worth, and all 20 players coach Gilmar Popoca has at his disposal are important. 

The first half of the match at SESC Stadium was a Flamengo massacre. In the 7th minute, Lucas Silva nearly opened the scoring with a fine shot past the goalkeeper. In the 17th minute, Gabriel Silva left Lincoln one-on-one, and he made no mistake. 1-0 for the "Mais Querido" (Flamengo). In the 24th minute, João Pedro began his private duel against the post and goalkeeper Carlos Vinícius. His first shot of the match, a rocket from outside the box, exploded off the post. Three minutes later, in a very similar move, João Pedro unleashed another rocket, again hitting the post of Ponte Preta's goal. On the rebound, Kleber got to the bottom and crossed for Lucas Silva, who headed in to double the lead. Flamengo still had good chances before halftime. In the 31st and 35th minutes, João Pedro nearly scored again, but his fate in the game continued. In the 36th minute, referee Leandro Pedro Vuaden disallowed defender Bernardo's goal. 

"The shots are the result of a lot of training. I confess that this has never happened to me before, four shots from so far in the same game, two of which hit the post and the other two with the goalkeeper making great saves. But we have to keep working hard and taking our chances whenever the opportunity arises, because I'm sure that at the right time the ball will go in. The most important thing is that the group is very united and focused, and with each game, regardless of who plays, the team continues to evolve and gain more strength," said midfielder João Pedro. 

At the start of the second half, Ponte Preta went all-in and launched an attack, nearly reducing the score. After 15 minutes, Flamengo regained its footing and regained control. In the 25th minute, Théo unleashed a beautiful shot from outside the box, which the goalkeeper made a great save. In the 27th minute, Flamengo killed the game. In a quick exchange of passes in the attacking sector, Lincoln rolled the ball, and Vinícius Junior scored the third. In the 30th minute, it almost became a rout. In another beautiful play, Lucas Silva passed the ball, Lincoln set up a screen, and Gabriel Silva appeared free inside the box, but his shot went over the goal.

"I was very well received by the group, and I'm feeling great. It's a team with great tactical and technical quality, and my goal is to come in and contribute and help in any way I can. I've always tried to do my best and score goals so we can keep winning. Thanks to the help of all my teammates, it's been working out in the last few games," said striker Lincoln, who is making his U-20 debut in the Copa RS Internacional.

Having qualified for the semifinals of the competition for the first time, Flamengo returns to the field next Friday (16.12), at 19 pm, at the PUC Stadium. The opponent will come from the duel between Palmeiras and Botafogo, who face each other only this Wednesday night.