In a clash between two of the three top U-17 teams in Brazil, Flamengo faced São Paulo at Estádio da Cidadania in Volta Redonda in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals. After a resounding 2-0 victory in the first leg last week at Morumbi Stadium, the "Garotos do Ninho" drew 2-2 (Reinier and Rhyan) and secured a spot in the semifinals of the top national competition for the age group for the fourth time in six years. Their next opponent will be Santos, who host the first leg next week at Vila Belmiro. The return leg will be in Rio de Janeiro, with the date and location yet to be determined by the CBF.

Even with a solid lead from the first leg, the Boys of the Nest didn't relinquish their attacking spirit and went in search of victory from the first minute. With quick, engaging touches, the Mais Querido gradually created good chances to open the scoring. Six minutes into the game, Lázaro hit a first-time shot from the edge of the box, but the ball went too high. The next minute, the goal came—and it was a stunning goal. With great skill, Reinier played a one-two with Rhyan and fired a shot past goalkeeper Matheus, who was helpless. In their first attack, São Paulo equalized with a shot from outside the box by David Elias.

Flamengo remained unfazed. The next minute, Reinier passed to Lázaro, who fired a first-time shot that Matheus confidently saved. In the 16th minute, Reinier noticed the São Paulo goalkeeper was out of position and cleverly chipped the ball over the bar. The ball hit the crossbar and went out for a goal kick. In the 28th minute, Flamengo extended its lead even further. Rhyan received the ball at the edge of the box and expertly chipped it into Matheus' corner, leaving the Tricolor goalkeeper with no chance.

The goal didn't slow down the frenetic pace of the attack. In the 30th minute, in a beautiful attacking move, the ball passed through the feet of Lázaro, Rhyan, Yuri de Oliveira, and Reinier, who fired a low shot that Matheus made a good save. In the final minutes of the first half, there were two good scoring chances, one for each team. In the 40th minute, São Paulo had an excellent chance to equalize, again through David Elias. Pedro Victor grew in front of the striker, who shot wide unmarked. A minute later, Lázaro nearly found the top corner, but the ball went just wide of the Tricolor post. The last chance of the first half fell to Tricolor. David Elias found himself unmarked one-on-one with Pedro Victor, who stretched out and went for the ball, making an impressive save.

São Paulo equalized in the 15th minute of the second half, with a penalty kick from Maia, and the game remained even. In the 25th minute, Gomes passed to Reinier. The number 10 hit a cross, the ball was deflected by the defense and narrowly avoided finding the back of the net. São Paulo threatened again in the 36th minute with a powerful header. Pedro Victor flew and made a great save, palming the ball out for a corner. In the 42nd minute, the red-and-black defense returned to action and saved the Mais Querido with two spectacular saves from shots by Maia and Talles, rousing the fans who had gathered at the stadium to support the Garotos do Ninho and securing a spot in another U-17 Copa do Brasil semifinal.

"It's for this, for games like today's, that we get up every day at 6 a.m. and train to continually surpass ourselves. I want to thank my family and all the professionals at Flamengo, especially my coach Thiago Eler, for their daily work and tireless support. We're getting stronger and stronger, and we're moving forward toward our ultimate goal, which is winning our first title," said Flamengo goalkeeper Pedro Victor.

Flamengo: Pedro Victor, Braian, Natan, Lucas Freitas (Gabriel Noga), Italo; Daniel Cabral (Dhouglas), Gomes; Yuri de Oliveira (Ramon), Lázaro (Luis Gustavo), Reinier and Rhyan (Lucas Gabriel). Coach: Phelipe Leal.