In a match played at the Gávea stadium on Wednesday afternoon (5), Flamengo's U-20 team drew 1-1 with Ponte Preta and was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil in the category based on away goals (the first leg, played in Campinas last week, ended 0-0).

After a very even first half without any major scoring chances, the Red-Blacks were far superior throughout the second half, creating several scoring chances. Even so, they saw Ponte Preta open the scoring with their only chance of the entire match. The Most Beloved didn't give up and went all out in search of a comeback. Bernardo equalized in the 40th minute, and what the fans, who turned out in good numbers despite the heavy rain, witnessed in the final minutes was a red-black blitz inside the Ponte Preta penalty area.

"We knew it would be a tough game. We'd already played a great game at their home ground, but the Copa do Brasil has an away goals rule, which counts a lot, and unfortunately we couldn't score there. Today, Ponte managed to open up a lead even though our team was far superior from the start. It's part of football. Now we have to keep working hard and focus on the other competitions ahead," said coach Gilmar Popoca.

Still without Matheus Sávio and Lucas Paquetá, who remain in the Brazilian national team in preparation for the quadrangular tournament in Chile, Flamengo's U-20 team returns to the field on Saturday (8) at 15 pm, when they face Tigres, in Xerém, in a game valid for the second phase of the Otávio Pinto Guimarães tournament.