As has been the case in recent years, Flamengo's U-20 team has once again qualified for the final of the Campeonato Carioca in that category. In a match played this Saturday morning (July 08.07) at Gávea Stadium, valid for the semifinal of the competition, the Garotos do Ninho were superior and defeated the good Madureira team 2-0 (Lincoln and Lucas Silva), securing a spot in the championship final for the third year in a row. With the best record in the overall standings of the State Championship, the Mais Querido will have the advantage of playing the second leg of the final at home, most likely at Gávea. The other semifinal will be played this Sunday morning, between Vasco and Botafogo, with Vasco playing for a draw to advance to the final. 

Flamengo started pressing and looking for a goal from the first minute of the game. In the third minute, Luiz Henrique had the red-and-blacks' first chance of the game when he burst into the box from the right flank, but was blocked by the defender as he shot. In the seventh minute, the "Garotos do Ninho" (The Boys of the Nest) formed a beautiful triangle involving Kleber, Jean Lucas, and Lucas Silva. The final pass was powerful, and Lincoln arrived a second too late to narrowly miss the opening score. In the 7th minute, Madureira threatened. After a free kick in the box, Marcelo shot into the corner, and André Baumer cleared it off the line. In the 29th minute, Ian Oliveira shot from outside the box; the ball deflected off Vinícius Souza and almost went over Gabriel Batista. The first half ended as it began: scoreless.

In the fifth minute of the second half, Flamengo finally opened the scoring. Luiz Henrique passed to Lucas Silva, who went to the byline and crossed perfectly for Lincoln to tap in. In the 14th minute, Jean Lucas received the ball at the penalty spot and fired a powerful shot that Lucão made a great save. Flamengo continued to improve and sealed the victory in the 39th minute. Lucas Silva launched a quick counterattack and passed to Lincoln, who was brought down by the defender inside the box. Lucas Silva fired a powerful shot into the right corner, scoring the second for Flamengo. 

"This is a special group. I often tell them that the cherry on top is always ready to be put on the cake, but that final detail is missing. We missed the opportunity in the Copa do Brasil, and now we have a new chance to win an important title with this jersey. We'll continue to work hard on these boys, who have a lot of quality. Today we performed very well in a difficult match, because Madureira has a lot of quality, and we knew that the responsibility for today's victory was entirely ours. We've regained our confidence, and we're going very strong for a decisive week, with the Brazilian Championship on Wednesday and the first leg of another Carioca final this weekend," said coach Gilmar Popoca. 

Before starting to decide the state title next weekend against Vasco or Botafogo, the Garotos do Ninho return to the field on Wednesday (12.07) and need a victory against Goiás, to continue with good chances of qualifying for the second phase of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship. The match will be played at 15 pm in Gávea, with free entry.

Flamengo took the field against Madureira with Gabriel Batista, Kleber, Bernardo, André Baumer, Michael, Vinícius Souza, Jean Lucas (Hugo Moura), Lucas Silva (Bill), Gabriel Silva, Luiz Henrique (Patrick) and Lincoln. Coach: Gilmar Popoca.