U-17s beat Liverpool (URU) and are in the semi-finals of the Copa Santiago

Riding high in the competition, Garotos do Ninho eliminate Uruguayans and await Grêmio or Danúbio (URU) in the semifinal.

By Ian Sena - in 24/01/2019 às 18:28

After a bumpy start to the first official competition of the 2019 season, the Garotos do Ninho U-17 team, current Copa do Brasil champions, have been recovering their technical and tactical quality on the field. Combining this with the team's already recognized competitive spirit, the Mais Querido shows that the current season has everything to be as successful as the last, or even more so. On Thursday afternoon (24), the Rubro-Negro defeated Liverpool, from Uruguay, 3-1 (Yuri de Oliveira [2] and Lucas Gabriel), and secured a place in the semifinals of the Copa Santiago, an important and traditional international competition held in the city of the same name, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. The Garotos do Ninho now await the definition of their next opponent, which will come from the match between Grêmio and Danúbio (URU), who face each other later tonight.

Yuri de Oliveira scored twice and led the Garotos do Ninho to the semi-finals of the Copa Santiago.

As is typical of every duel between Brazilians and Uruguayans, the match against Liverpool was a tight and evenly matched affair, with plenty of fighting in the middle of the field and few scoring chances. With their first attempt, Flamengo opened the scoring, and did so in style. Lucas Gabriel received the ball in midfield, set it up with his left foot, and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, unstoppable for goalkeeper Matias Villar, who could do nothing but retrieve the ball from the back of the net.

The early goal gave the Ninho Boys a sense of calm, managing their lead well and avoiding any risks. In the 21st minute, Yuri de Oliveira crossed for Lázaro, who finished into the goal. But the play had already been ruled out by the referee, who flagged for offside. In the 38th minute, defender Otávio took a chance from the middle of the field and narrowly missed chipping the ball over the Uruguayan goalkeeper for another stunning goal in the final dangerous play of the first half.

Liverpool created their first chance of the match just ten minutes into the second half. Dylan Villar crossed into the box, and, well-positioned, Rodrigo Pereira headed the ball wide of Bruno's goal. The pitch conditions were still not ideal, but they were better than in recent matches, which allowed Liverpool to continue to impose themselves and create more scoring chances. In the 15th minute, after a cross, Yuri de Oliveira hit a cross, but the ball went just wide of Matias Villar's right post.

Shortly thereafter, in the 19th minute, Flamengo extended their lead. In a quick counterattack, João Gabriel exchanged passes with Lázaro and passed to Yuri de Oliveira. The Gávea number 10 controlled the ball and fired a smart shot under the Uruguayan goalkeeper. There was still time for another. In the 36th minute, Daniel Cabral advanced down the left flank and passed to Yuri de Oliveira. The midfielder skillfully flicked the ball over the goalkeeper, putting the game away for Flamengo. Not even the Uruguayan consolation goal, scored by Dylan Villar in the 38th minute, could dampen the celebrations of the "Garotos do Ninho" (Nest Boys), who took another step toward their first title in the category in 2019.

Coach: Phelipe Leal.