Sidney and João Gabriel celebrate winning the Evergrande Cup U17
Flamengo beat Villarreal (ESP) on penalties in the under-17 international tournament
By Nathan Mello - in
The achievements of the "Garotos do Ninho" (Nest Boys) this season have already made their mark on the club's history. Four months after lifting the Adidas Generation Cup trophy undefeated in Dallas, the same story repeated itself, this time in China, with the Evergrande Cup U17 International Championship. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, with Sidney scoring, Flamengo defeated Villarreal (ESP) 5-4 on penalties and became international champions for the second time this year in the U17 category, culminating in the Rubro-Negra youth team's fifth title in the 2018 season alone.
"We started off losing with a corner kick. The game progressed, and we had good chances but couldn't capitalize in the first half. At halftime, Leal got the team in order, but still couldn't score. In the second half, Leal called me and told me to trust and go for it. The first few balls I got, I went for it; I was ahead one-on-one. On one of those balls, I dragged, cut, and shot to score. We managed the game well after the equalizer and took the game to penalties. We were confident everything would work out. That's when God blessed us with this title," commented Sidney.
Coming off the bench, scoring the equalizer to send the game to penalties, and opening the penalty shootout with a goal. A scenario like that is only a dream, right? Not for the red-and-black fullback; this is all a reality, with the right to be named MVP.
""I have no words to describe being the man of the final. It's an extraordinary happiness. I still can't believe I scored the equalizer, that I was the best player in the final. So I just have to thank God and my teammates. If it weren't for them, I don't know what would have become of me. They were there all the time, supporting me, giving me strength, helping me, and always believing in my potential. So much so that when I entered the game, many of them said, 'Sidão, go in and kill it, kid, we trust you,' and I felt very happy to have the trust of the whole group," concluded the player.
Another highlight of this Flamengo under-17 team is midfielder João Gabriel, who, like Sidney, also saw his dream come true by scoring the goal in the final of the Adidas Generation Cup, in Dallas and now, together with his generation, is making history at the Mais Querido.
"It was a very difficult match, as they had the same goal as the agent, which was to propose the game. This made the match difficult for both sides. The feeling is inexplicable, our second international title of the year. We're making history. It's a moment that will be remembered in everyone's lives and in Flamengo's history," celebrated midfielder João Gabriel.