Aiming for its fourth title in its history, Flamengo boasts three major achievements. The first was in 1990, when the generation of Djalminha, Júnior Baiano, Marcelinho Carioca, and Paulo Nunes defeated Juventus to take the trophy. In 2011, the team led by goalkeeper César defeated Bahia at Pacaembu Stadium, winning the title once again. The last, in 2016, featured Thiago, Léo Duarte, Lucas Paquetá, and Felipe Vizeu, who defeated Corinthians for the third title.

The 2018 campaign wasn't easy, but Flamengo never stopped fighting for qualification. In the semifinals, the Red-Blacks faced Portuguesa at Canindé Stadium and, with a thrilling final score, secured their spot with a 3-2 victory. Previously, Flamengo had defeated Elosport, Coritiba, Audax, and Avaí in their path.

Red-black campaign

Group stage:
. Flamengo 6x0 Ji-Paraná

. Aimoré 1x1 Flamengo

. West 0x2 Flamengo

Second level:
. Flamengo 5x0 Elosport

Third phase:
. Flamengo 1x0 Coritiba

Round of XNUMX:
. Flamengo 1x0 Audax

Quarterfinals:
. Avai 0x1 Flamengo

Semifinal:
. Flamengo 3x2 Portuguesa

Flamengo's numbers

Flamengo were unbeaten in their run to the Copinha final. In eight matches, the Mais Querido won seven, drawing only once. Furthermore, they scored 20 goals from ten different players and conceded only three. Against Elosport, Mengo also had an own goal from Germano in that tally.

The team's top scorer, number 18 Vitor Gabriel, scored four goals in the tournament, including two in the semifinal against Portuguesa. Lucas Silva and Luiz Henrique followed with three. Pepê, Patrick, and Bill each scored twice, and Bernardo, Yuri, Matheus Dantas, and Wendel each scored one goal.

The Copinha final will be the eighth meeting between Flamengo and São Paulo. Flamengo is the opponent that the Mais Querido has faced most in the competition, with a positive record for the Rio de Janeiro team: three wins, two draws, and two losses.

The last meeting was in 2016, when the teams faced off in the quarterfinals. At Arena Barueri, the Rubro-Negro emerged victorious, defeating the São Paulo team 2-0, with goals from Felipe Vizeu. That year, Mengo became the third champion. 

the opponent

The final will be a clash of undefeated teams in the Copinha. Both Flamengo and São Paulo have made it through all stages without losing a single game. In the group stage, São Paulo won three of their three matches, beating Botafogo-SP, Sergipe, and Cruzeiro-DF. Next, São Paulo defeated Chapecoense (2-0) and again faced Botafogo-SP, whom they eliminated with a 1-0 victory. Cruzeiro (1-0), Vitória (2-2 / 4-3, on penalties), and Internacional (1-1 / 6-5, on penalties) completed São Paulo's path to the final, with six wins and two draws, in addition to scoring 20 goals and conceding six.