Flamengo had everything it needed to secure its first victory in the RS Internacional U-20 Cup. Playing the national derby against Cruzeiro at PUC Stadium, the "Mais Querido" (the "Most Beloved") had a patchy first half and saw their opponent open the scoring. The second half was much better, and, imposing its style of play, Flamengo turned the match around. But in stoppage time, Flamengo equalized. In the end, the 2-2 scoreline (Gabriel Silva and André Baumer) was like a bucket of cold water, but it kept Flamengo alive in the competition, and with only itself to qualify for the next stage.

The Game

The first 15 minutes were very even, with no scoring chances for either side. In the 21st minute, Cruzeiro nearly opened the scoring. Goalkeeper Gabriel Batista, Flamengo's standout performer, began to emerge and made his first significant save of the match. In the 23rd minute, with a shot from outside the box, Loran took the red-and-black's first shot of the game. In the 30th minute, Vander opened the scoring for Cruzeiro.

Coach Gilmar Popoca's instructions in the locker room paid off, and Flamengo returned for the second half completely changed. Just five minutes in, Loran controlled the ball at the edge of the box, turned, and shot powerfully, but the goalkeeper made a great save. In the 5th minute, there was a scare, but Gabriel Batista made his second great save of the game, saving the Mais Querido. In the 11th minute, Gabriel Silva made a magnificent individual play and unleashed a beautiful shot from outside the box, unstoppable, into the right corner of goalkeeper Jonathan, to tie the game.

With Lincoln and Vinícius Junior on the field, making their U-20 debuts after competing in the Nike Friendlies tournament with the Brazilian U-17 national team in the United States, Flamengo went all out, and the comeback came soon after. In the 26th minute, Patrick took a corner kick, and defender André Baumer rose high to head in the second. In the 42nd minute, Cruzeiro almost equalized, but Gabriel Batista was there once again to save Cruzeiro, making his most difficult save of the match, a close-range header. But in the 45th minute, it was no use. A well-placed play through the middle resulted in the ball falling to Rick Sena to make it 2-2.

"We didn't play well in the first half, but with Popoca's adjustments at halftime, we came back much better for the second. I'd venture to say we left this game with a taste of defeat, having conceded the equalizer late in the match. But we have to keep our heads up, as we continue to depend solely on ourselves to qualify," said goalkeeper Gabriel Batista, who added: "Speaking about my individual performance, I'd like to once again thank my coach Nielsen, Lyon, and Hugo for the great work we've been doing in our daily training sessions. Today's match only proved that the work is being done well. But I always keep in mind that I need to improve even more in the next game," Batista concluded.

Flamengo returns to the field on Friday (09.12) at 17:30 pm against Toluca (MEX) again at PUC Stadium, needing the victory but depending only on itself to advance to the quarterfinals of the RS Internacional U-20 Cup. If it defeats Toluca and Santos, Rubro-Negro will be in the knockout stage of the competition.

 

Classification Group B:

1st - Santos 6pts (2 games)

2nd - Criciúma 5pts (3 games)

3rd - Cruzeiro 2pts (3 games)

4th - Flamengo 1pt (2 games)

5th - Toluca (MEX) 1pt (2 games)