The U-15 and U-17 Ninho Boys hit the road to the North of Rio de Janeiro state this Independence Day holiday to face Goytacazes at the Ary de Oliveira Stadium in Campos dos Goytacazes. With solid performances and no problems, the "Mais Querido" defeated their opponents by the same score in both categories: 3-0. In the U-15 category, goals came from Pedro Henrique, João Pedro, and Jean. In the U-17 category, the top scorers were Lázaro, Lucas Freitas, and Luis Gustavo. The result keeps both categories in the lead of the Guanabara Cup and gives the teams a peaceful week of preparation ahead of the classics against Botafogo in Gávea on Saturday (15).

The U-17s opened their holiday training session in Campos, and they did well. Just seven minutes into the match, Lázaro received a low cross into the box and made no mistake, opening the scoring for the Ninho Boys. The only scare of the afternoon came in the 35th minute. The referee awarded a penalty in favor of the home team. Just as he did against Villarreal (ESP) in the Evergrande Cup final in China, goalkeeper Pedro Victor stepped up to make the save. 

Also in the seventh minute, this time in the second half, defender Lucas Freitas capitalized on a deflection at the near post after a corner kick from the left wing, doubling the lead. The third goal came soon after. In the tenth minute, Ítalo crossed, Luis Gustavo got ahead of the goalkeeper, and tapped in to seal another victory for Flamengo in the competition. Flamengo remains atop the Taça Guanabara, now reaching 55 points in 21 games, and opening up a five-point lead over second-place Vasco.

Flamengo: Pedro Victor, Braian, Natan, Lucas Freitas, Italo; Lucas Gabriel, Gomes, Yuri de Oliveira; Lazaro, Luis Gustavo and Rhyan. Coach: Ramon Lima.

Soon after, the U-15 boys took the field, maintained the same level of performance, and won by the same score. Five minutes into the game, Richard crossed, the goalkeeper punched it away, and, on the rebound, Pedro Henrique delivered a beautiful cross-shot to open the scoring in Flamengo's favor. The red-and-blacks' superiority was blatant, and the second goal came ten minutes in, with a magnificent individual play by João Pedro. He beat two opponents on the left and fired a shot into the far corner for a stunning goal.

Flamengo managed their lead effortlessly and scored the third in the 40th minute of the second half. Jean received the ball at the edge of the box, beat his marker, and struck firmly with his left foot, scoring another beautiful goal and capping off a beautiful Independence Day afternoon for Flamengo in Campos. The U-15s now have 44 points in 16 games, opening up a seven-point lead over second-place Vasco.

Flamengo: Christian, Kayque, Diego, Kaiky, Richard; Jorge, Arthur Lessa, Pedrinho; Oliveira, João Pedro and Felippe. Coach: Mario Jorge.