Playing at the Los Lários Stadium in Xerém on Thursday night (May 18.05), Mengão's U-20 team had another very solid and convincing performance, defeating the good Avaí team 2-0 (Lucas Silva and Loran) in the difficult first leg of the Copa do Brasil semifinals in the category and opening up a great advantage for the return leg, scheduled for next Thursday, May 25.05, at the Ressacada Stadium in Florianópolis. With the result, Rubro-Negro could lose by up to one goal to play in the final of the competition for the first time.

Prepared to face the challenges of a match against an experienced team that had eliminated Grêmio, Fluminense, and Palmeiras in quick succession, Flamengo came out strong from the first minute and quickly took control of the match, far outperforming their opponents throughout the first half. Just three minutes in, Lucas Silva burst into the box with speed and unleashed a rocket that exploded off goalkeeper Léo Lopes's post. The next good chance came in the 3th minute, with a shot from outside the box by João Pedro.  

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The dominance continued, and soon after, the Mais Querido opened the scoring. And it was a stunning goal. Lincoln made a fine individual play, burst into the box, and passed to Vinícius Souza. The midfielder, who alongside left-back Michael and goalkeeper Hugo will be joining the Brazilian U-20 team for the Toulon Tournament in France on Sunday, made a masterful switch of play to Kleber. The first-time cross surprised the defense and found Lucas Silva, who flicked it into the back of the net.

The goal gave Flamengo even more peace of mind, and they narrowly avoided extending their lead in the 37th minute with a beautiful shot from outside the box by João Pedro, which hit the Santa Catarina team's crossbar. In the 42nd minute, Lincoln only missed the second because the defender saved it almost on the line. 

The second half was different. Aware of the importance of an away goal, Avaí pressed and dominated possession, while the "Garotos do Ninho" (Nest Boys) were very dangerous on the counterattack. The best opportunities came in the 23rd minute, when Kleber crossed and Gabriel Silva fired a dangerous shot, and in the 32nd minute, when after a powerful shot from Gabriel Batista, the Santa Catarina defender slipped and Lucas Silva had a clear path to drive the ball to the edge of the box, but his shot hit the post. Avaí responded in the 8nd minute with a cross-shot that hit the post and then, in the 42th minute, with a point-blank header saved by goalkeeper Gabriel Batista, who made a stunning save. In the dying minutes, in the 44th minute, "Mais Querido" (The Most Beloved) mounted a deadly counterattack, orchestrated by two players who had come off the bench, and scored the crucial second goal that sealed the game. After a corner and a rebound in the box, the ball fell to midfielder Patrick, who drove it with great skill to the edge of the opponent's box and passed it to Loran, who showed great composure to give the final numbers to the game and give greater peace of mind for the return match, next week, in Florianópolis. 

Flamengo took to the field with Gabriel Batista, Kleber, Dener (Bernardo), Rafael, Michael, Gabriel Magalhães, Vinícius Souza, Gabriel Silva (Patrick), Lucas Silva, João Pedro (Fabrício) and Lincoln (Loran). Coach: Gilmar Popoca.