Flamengo's under-20 soccer team is competing simultaneously in the Brazilian Championship and the Rio Cup, and is already guaranteed a spot in the Carioca Championship final. Even so, the boys' coach, Zé ​​Ricardo, fielded a full-strength squad for the first leg of the Rio Cup semifinal on Saturday afternoon (July 25.07). And the boys didn't disappoint; they beat Vasco in São Januário and took the lead for a spot in the second round of the state junior championship. Douglas Baggio and Cafú scored in the 2-1 victory. Now, the Rubro-Negro needs a draw in the second leg to decide the trophy.

In the first half, Vasco had the biggest chance, hitting the post. The teams went into halftime tied 0-0. Flamengo came back stronger in the second half and opened the scoring with Douglas Baggio, who reached 20 goals in the Carioca Championship. The Cruzmaltino fought back and equalized with Renato Kayser, but the Rubro-Negro fought back and scored the second goal with Cafú.

The place in the final of the Taça Rio will be defined next Sunday (02.08), when Flamengo and Vasco play the second semifinal match, in Gávea, at 11 am. Before that, the two teams face each other this Thursday (30.07), at 21 pm, in Volta Redonda, for the third round of the second phase of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship. The match will be broadcast on the SporTV channel.