With another great collective performance despite playing severely weakened in all sectors, Flamengo's U-17 team, two-time Brazilian champion and led by coach Mario Jorge, was far superior for much of the second leg against Cruzeiro, valid for the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil, played on Thursday night (30), at the Luso-Brasileiro Stadium, on Ilha do Governador. Fairly, the Garotos do Ninho won 3-1 (Matheus Gonçalves, Victor Hugo and Petterson), and secured a place in the semifinals of the competition. The opponent in the fight for a place in the final will be Palmeiras. The Mais Querido hosts the first leg, next week, in Rio de Janeiro, and decide the place at Allianz Parque.

The game started tensely, with few scoring chances for either team. Flamengo's first dangerous shot came in the 23rd minute, from Matheus Gonçalves. The ball sailed over goalkeeper Otavio's post. With their first shot, Cruzeiro opened the scoring, through Ícaro, in the 36th minute. In the final play before halftime, Matheus Gonçalves made a great individual play and was awarded a penalty after a bouncing shot through two defenders. He took the penalty himself, with great skill, and leveled the score.

Mengão came out in the second half putting intense pressure on Cruzeiro and looking to win the match. In the fourth minute, after a rebound in the box, the ball fell to Victor Hugo, who only missed the goal because the ball deflected off the Cruzeiro defense almost on the goal line. In the seventh minute, Petterson crossed for Matheus Gonçalves, who headed the ball over the bar. 

The Garotos do Ninho were far superior, and they turned the game around in the 17th minute, when Petterson made a great play, got past his marker, and crossed perfectly for Victor Hugo to tap in for his 20th goal of the season. In the 23rd minute, Flamengo extended their lead with a penalty kick from Petterson. The Minas Gerais team had a clear chance to score in the 27th minute, but the defensive midfielder Dyogo Alves stepped up and made a spectacular save, securing Mengão's spot in the Copa do Brasil semifinals.

Flamengo: Dyogo Alves, Ze Wellinton, Iago, Darlan, Carbone (Diego Clemente); Vitor Muller, Rayan Lucas, Victor Hugo; Petterson, Matheus Gonçalves and Fabricio Yan (Vinicius). Coach: Mario Jorge.