Flamengo's U-15 team overcame the fact of playing two games on the same day, due to the heavy rain that fell yesterday in Belo Horizonte and, after beating São Paulo by an irrefutable score of 6x1 in the morning, returned to the field late in the afternoon of this Saturday (09) to beat Atlético MG on penalties 4x2 (after a 1x1 draw in normal time), and guarantee a place in the grand final of the BH Cup (also known as Cruzeiro International Cup), one of the two main competitions in the annual calendar of the category. After a well-deserved rest after a double-victory Saturday, the Garotos do Ninho will duel against Internacional for the title of the competition. The match is scheduled for this Sunday (10), at 10 am, at Toca da Raposa 1.

The Mais Querido (Most Beloved) attacked from the start, opening the scoring in the 14th minute when Samuel was brought down in the box. Reinier calmly slotted the ball into the goalkeeper's left corner, taking the first goal off the scoreboard. In the 18th minute, the referee awarded a controversial penalty in favor of the Minas Gerais team, which tied the game. The match remained evenly matched until halftime.

Flamengo was the better team in the second half. In the fifth minute, Lázaro made a good individual play and passed to Caio, who crossed into the box. Reinier struck a powerful first-time shot, and the Atlético goalkeeper made a great save, palming it away for a corner. In the 16th minute, Hugo delivered a beautiful pass to Reinier. The number 10 hit a cross shot to the right of the opponent's goal. The pressure was intense. In the 20th minute, Jhonata made a good run down the right and passed to Lázaro. The shot was deflected by the defense and went just wide of the goal, posing a serious threat. 

Regulation time ended, and the decision went to a penalty shootout. More focused and calm, Caio, Reinier, Hugo, and Lázaro scored for the Mais Querido, who also had a shot hit the post and a great save from goalkeeper Bruno, securing the victory and qualification for the Garotos do Ninho to the grand final of the competition this Sunday against Internacional.

"I'm very happy with our qualification. Now we'll rest a lot and recover for this final against Inter. Regarding the penalty, I tried to wait until the last moment, and I was lucky enough to get the corner right and make the save. We're going very strong in the pursuit of this title," said goalkeeper Bruno.

Flamengo: Bruno, Jhonata, Gabriel Noga, Hugo, Caio, Dhouglas, Daniel Cabral, Mayquinho, Samuel, Reinier and Lázaro. Coach: Ramon Lima.