Four days after opening up a good lead in the first leg of the round of 5 of the Copa do Brasil against Santos, winning 2-XNUMX at Ilha do Urubu, Flamengo's U-17 team returned to the field on Sunday morning (15), in Gávea, for another decisive match of the season. This time, the opponent was Nova Iguaçu, in a game valid for the semifinal of the Taça Rio. Owners of the best campaign in the classification phase, the Garotos do Ninho once again showed their strength, defeated the opponent 1-0 (Yuri) in a very difficult match, and secured a place in the final of the second round. 

As it was champion of the Guanabara Cup, Mais Querido will be the two-time state champion directly if it also wins the Rio Cup, without the need to compete in the overall final of the competition. The opponent will once again be Botafogo, in a repeat of the Guanabara Cup final. Before that, however, Rubro-Negro visits Santos at Vila Belmiro, in the second leg of the round of 18 of the Copa do Brasil, next Wednesday (16) at XNUMX pm, with live broadcast on SporTV

Fan club members get more Flamengo on the field: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and structure to the training center! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.    

The Ninho Boys' first chance came in the fifth minute. The ball fell to Wendel inside the box. He struck hard, but goalkeeper Daniel made a good save and sent the ball out for a corner. The game was evenly matched, and in the tenth minute, Giovane nearly opened the scoring for Nova Iguaçu with a free header inside the box. In the 10th minute, Matheus Alves delivered a beautiful pass to Yuri, who burst into the box with speed and hit a cross, posing a serious threat to Daniel's goal. 

The Mais Querido opened the scoring in the 25th minute, showcasing their excellent transition game, one of the team's hallmarks. Vitor Gabriel received the ball in his own half, moved the ball with skill and speed into the attacking half, and delivered a perfect pass to Yuri, who fired a cross-shot past the goalkeeper. 

The second half began with an incredible play from the red-and-black attack, which narrowly avoided doubling the score. In the sixth minute, Wendel took a shot, but Daniel miraculously deflected the ball, which hit the post. Vitor Gabriel fired the rebound, and defender Breno saved it twice on the line. In the 6th minute, Victor nearly equalized for the team from Baixada Fluminense, but the ball went just wide of Victor Hugo's goal. In the 12th minute, another great chance for the Mais Querido. Teo passed the ball to Vitor Gabriel, who challenged the goalkeeper. Yuri attempted a volley from the rebound, but the ball was weak, and Daniel had no trouble making the save. 

Nova Iguaçu threatened again in the 22nd minute. Nathan cut inside and crossed to Victor, who got ahead of Henrique and fired a powerful shot, drawing a great save from Victor Hugo, who saved the red-and-black team. The game was tense, and the difficulty increased even more for both teams when the rain fell harder again at Gávea. In the 26th minute, Yuri took a corner kick, the Nova Iguaçu defense scrambled, and the ball fell to Henrique, who shot over the goal, wasting a good chance. The game became dramatic. In the 40th minute, Vitor Gabriel physically outmaneuvered the defense and almost scored the second, but Daniel prevented the goal. Dangerous and fighting bravely until the end, Nova Iguaçu tried to press in the final minutes and managed to threaten, but the Mais Querido defended well and held on to the victory until the final whistle.

"We're in a very difficult run of games, and the most important thing now is rest and recovery between matches. If this is happening, it's because we play for Flamengo, a club with a winning DNA, and we're here to always fight for every title. That's what we're used to, and we want to keep it that way. We have a very competent coaching staff, which gives us all the support we need. Congratulations to the entire group. Now we'll turn the page and focus on Santos and the Copa do Brasil," said Matheus Alves, who had a great performance in the match.

Flamengo took to the field with Vitor Hugo, Braian (Teo), Ari, Patrick, Ramon, Henrique (Lucas Gabriel), Matheus Alves, Luan (Rhyan), Wendel, Yuri (Gomes) and Vitor Gabriel (Yuri de Oliveira). Coach: Marcio Torres.