In its best performance in the Otávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament, Flamengo went to Xerém on Sunday morning (23) and took no notice of the home team. With three beautiful goals from center forward Daniel, the competition's top scorer with eight goals, and one from Lucas Silva, Flamengo thrashed Fluminense by an unassailable 4-0, a score that sums up the game's history well, and qualified for the grand final of the OPG.

Much more organized from the start, the Rubro-Negro dominated the action from the first minute of the match and quickly gained possession in the attacking half, always imposing good passing and high speed. In the 12th minute, Daniel began to show he was the best on the field, opening the scoring with a bomb from outside the box, unstoppable for the Tricolor goalkeeper. The goal gave the team a boost, and they continued to attack. In the 22nd minute, Matheus Sávio, back in the team after winning the Quadrangular Championship in Chile while wearing the Brazilian national team jersey, accurately sent a corner kick to Daniel's head, making it 2-0.

The second half arrived, and Flamengo continued to attack. Just three minutes in, Matheus Sávio pressured Fluminense's attacking play, stole the ball, and left Daniel with a clear shot across goal. He scored his third goal of the match, giving Flamengo even more confidence. From that moment on, they simply managed the victory, maintaining possession and exchanging short passes with great quality.

"We worked very hard all week preparing for this game, which we saw as a final. The 4-0 scoreline was just a reflection of that. We showed on the field that we're constantly improving, and that makes us very strong and ready to go into the final with even more confidence," said top scorer Daniel.

 

In the 38th minute, in a beautiful exchange of passes at speed that left the tricolor defense in awe, Daniel back-heeled the ball, Kleber rolled it and Lucas Silva, with his first touch, simply rolled it into the empty net, giving the final numbers to the red-black rout in Xerém.

 

"Although we're still a team under construction, we see a lot of potential in this team we're putting together. We have very high-quality players who provide very positive leadership for the group, which is gradually maturing. Regarding the game, it's very difficult to come here and win 4-0 against Fluminense, whom we respect a lot. We're growing at the right time, the decisive moment, and winning this title is a very important goal for us. We're going after it," said coach Gilmar Popoca.

 

In the final, Flamengo will face Vasco in two games. The first is scheduled for next Saturday (29), in Gávea, with the time yet to be confirmed by FERJ. The second and decisive game will be in São Januário, on November 5.