In a match held on Saturday afternoon (28) in Gávea against a much more complete and rested Botafogo, the Garotos do Ninho were greater than all the difficulties, dominated the match and tied 1x1 (Vitor Gabriel), a result that guaranteed the category in its fourth consecutive State Championship final. The opponent will be Vasco, in duels in the next two weekends with the home matches to be defined in a draw to be held at the headquarters of the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation.

The game started off slow and without any scoring chances. In the 18th minute, the referee didn't hesitate to award a penalty to Flamengo for a point-blank shot that was hit by Hugo Moura's elbow. Mateus Jorge took the kick and opened the scoring for Botafogo. In the 22nd minute, Vitor Gabriel pressed the ball out, and goalkeeper Diego misplaced the ball. Pepê recovered and passed it to Luiz Henrique, who slotted it home. The ball hit Botafogo's right post. The Boys from the Nest tried to press and began to create more chances. In the 34th minute, Theo saw Michael's pass clearly. The full-back passed it first time to Kleber, who shot weakly, but Diego made a comfortable save.

Flamengo returned for the second half trying to impose a different approach and pressure their opponents from the start. In the first minute, Kleber received the ball at the edge of the box and shot dangerously over Diego's goal. In the sixth minute, Bill received a cross in the box and shot over the bar. In the 12th minute, the equalizer came. Vitor Gabriel struck hard from the edge of the box, Diego touched the ball but without enough force to prevent it from hitting the back of the net, giving the score a little more justice.

From the start, Flamengo's dominance became even more evident, while Botafogo tried their best, mainly from set pieces in the red-and-black box. In stoppage time, in the 50th minute, Vitor Gabriel had a chance to score the second and kill the game, but the ball capriciously hit Diego's post. Soon after, the referee blew the final whistle, and the Mais Querido was able to celebrate their place in another State Championship final alongside the fans, who turned out in great numbers at Gávea.

"We're closer to achieving another goal this year, and I'm very happy to be able to contribute to the team with a goal and, in my opinion, a good performance. We're in a very tough stretch of games, and we're very tired, but we have the full support of the coaching staff to overcome all the difficulties and keep moving forward. We'll rest and recover for the game against Corinthians next Tuesday. We have the advantage of a draw, but we know it will be a very difficult and dangerous duel. We can't afford to let our guard down," said Vitor Gabriel.

Flamengo: Gabriel Batista, Wesley, Aderlan, Hugo Moura, Michael; Theo, Kleber (Yuri), Pepê (Gabriel Kazu); Bill (Vitor Ricardo), Luiz Henrique (Marx Lenin) and Vitor Gabriel. Coach: Marcio Torres.