Photos: Adriano Fontes/CRF

On Saturday afternoon (21), at the José Bastos Padilha Stadium, in Gávea, Flamengo confirmed its classification for the semifinals of the Otávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament by beating Madureira 2-0, with goals from Bill and Camargo. Now, Flamengo faces Fluminense to decide who advances to the championship final.

The game

With the advantage gained away from home in the first leg, Flamengo needed a draw to qualify for the semifinals of the OPG Tournament. However, the Ninho Boys didn't rely on the result of the first leg and from the first minute, they pushed forward, putting pressure on Madureira from the moment the opponent had the ball.

In the 7th minute, Flamengo's first big chance came from Lorran, who shot hard, but the goalkeeper saved.

Madureira's defense was strong and Flamengo tried to reach their goal, but encountered a solid defense from the suburban tricolor.

The first half unfolded this way until the end, and after the break, Mengão maintained the same mentality. On a pass from Lorran's midfield in the sixth minute, Bill opened the scoring for the Garotos do Ninho, extending Flamengo's lead.

Needing to secure a victory, Madureira came out more involved, creating space and unlocking the defensive defense that had previously presented itself to Flamengo's attack. In the 16th minute, Camargo, firing a powerful shot from the edge of the box, seized the opportunity and scored the second goal of the match for the Mengão youth team. 

At 21, almost the third: Lorran took a free kick from the left and Camargo headed it hard, but the opposing goalkeeper made an excellent save and sent it out.

The Madureira team continued trying to score, however without taking any major risks and the game continued like this until the end.

Next challenge

With the 4-1 aggregate victory, Flamengo qualified for the semifinals of the OPG Tournament and now faces Fluminense, who defeated Nova Iguaçu 11-10 on penalties after winning the match 1-0 in regulation time. In the other semifinal, Botafogo and Maricá will face each other for a spot in the final.