There's no denying it: Flamengo's youngsters are looking forward to more in their Brazilian Under-20 Championship campaign. In their three matches so far in Group 4 of the competition, coach Armênio Moura's team was leading until the final minutes of the second half, but conceded an equalizer before the final whistle, complicating their fight for a spot in the tournament's final stage. With Monday's matchday off, the red-and-blacks can only hope for a favorable combination of results.

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The group standings are as follows: Goiás leads with four points. Náutico and Flamengo follow closely behind with three, but the Pernambuco teams have a game in hand over the Rio de Janeiro side. Coritiba and Palmeiras round out the group with two. This Monday, Náutico faces Coritiba, and Goiás plays Palmeiras. And in the final round, on Wednesday, the São Paulo teams have a day off, while Flamengo faces Náutico and Coritiba faces Goiás.

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Therefore, in tonight's matches, the Gávea team should hope for a draw between Náutico and Coritiba, which would reach four and three points, respectively, and a Palmeiras victory over Goiás. This would give the São Paulo team five points, but they can't go beyond that, as they have a bye in the final round, and Goiás would remain with just four. If that happens, Flamengo, in the final round, should they beat Náutico, they will secure their spot in the quarterfinals of the competition.

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"Of course we're upset about this draw. The team is playing well, but unfortunately, we ended up conceding three silly goals in the final minutes and in the tough ones. But we can still do it, we can't give up. Now it's time to rest, fix the mistakes and hope that on Wednesday we still have a chance of qualifying," analyzed goalkeeper Marcelo Carné.

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On Sunday, the group was given the day off and took the opportunity to rest and discuss the team's situation in the championship. Starting this Monday, the team will return to training and finalize the final details before Wednesday's decisive match against Náutico, at 19 pm, in Santa Rosa.