The victory party: Flamengo beats Flu and qualifies for the final of the Carioca Sub-17

Photos: Adriano Fontes

Flamengo defeated Fluminense 2-1 and is in the final of the U-17 Carioca Championship. João Vitor and Daniel Carvalho scored the goals in the Fla-Flu, played late morning this Saturday (21), at the José Bastos Padilha Stadium, in Gávea. The opponent in the decision will be Botafogo.

The semifinal between Flamengo and Fluminense ended in a 2-2 aggregate draw, as Fluminense won the first leg 1-0 in Xerém. The Guanabara Cup title was the tiebreaker for Fluminense to qualify.

The need for victory forced the Ninho Boys to launch an attack to reverse the lead. The first big chance of the game, however, came from Fluminense in the 10th minute, after a counterattack.

The match remained closely contested, especially in the middle of the field, but Flamengo did not waste the first opportunity they had to score, in the 21st minute. Luiz Guilherme won the ball on the left and made a perfect cross for João Vitor to score with a header. 

In the 42nd minute, Mengão scored their second goal, and again from an aerial ball! After a corner kick from Lucas Falcone, the ball fell to João Vitor, who assisted Daniel Carvalho to score.

The second half began much the same way as the first, with both teams fighting for possession in midfield, without creating any significant chances. Flamengo capitalized on its advantage: it held off the opponent's limited attacking moves and sought to control the game.

Even winning by two goals, the team led by Daniel Franklin did not stop attacking and Emanuel almost scored a great goal, after receiving a pass from Luiz Guilherme, in the 25th minute. Before the final whistle, in the 47th minute, Fluminense reduced the deficit, but Mengão held on to the advantage and advanced to the Carioca final.