Flamengo's U-13 team, led by coach Leonam Kasali, breezed through the group stage of the Mundialito, the club's premier international competition, which is being held in Tarragona, Barcelona. They won three of their four matches, with an impressive goal difference of 31 goals scored and only five conceded, and some impressive routs. The team's opponent in the round of XNUMX will be known after this afternoon's match.

In the opening match, a tough match against the American Cedar Stars. The "Garotos do Ninho" took the lead, suffered a comeback, but remained calm and focused to win 6-3, a match that served to boost the team's morale and confidence for the rest of the competition. On the second day, a doubleheader featured two big wins. Opening the proceedings, a 9-0 victory over Baskonia of Spain in the morning. In the afternoon, the score was even more overwhelming: 15-0—yes, that's right—against fellow Spanish team CD Ruidoms. 24 goals scored in just one day, and a spot in the round of XNUMX of the Mundialito guaranteed.

Already qualified, the Mais Querido returned to the field on Wednesday morning (17) to decide the first place in the group against PSV, from the Netherlands. In a very balanced duel, Flamengo conceded a goal from a corner, tied the match and had a very clear penalty not awarded by the referee, at the end of the game. Shortly after, the Dutch scored the winning goal for 2-1, a result that in no way changes the situation of the Rubro-Negro, who arrives with great morale for the knockout stage of the tournament.

"This is a very grueling competition, as we play daily matches, and sometimes we even play twice in the same day. Besides the mental and physical fatigue of the athletes and coaching staff, this gives us very little time for recovery, nutrition, hydration, etc. The important thing is to remain balanced, regardless of win or loss, and to enter this final stretch of the competition well prepared and focused. I believe that, tactically speaking, our performance has been very good, both offensively and defensively, and this gives us great confidence for the rest of the competition," said coach Leonam Kasali.

The red-and-black manager also spoke about the importance of young athletes, still in development, competing at a global level in Europe. "Having the opportunity to experience other cultures and other styles of play is very important and special for the development of these boys. As a training club, we are very happy to be able to provide this to them. The more information these boys can acquire during their development, the better it will be for everyone," concluded Leonam.