With the best campaign in the first phase of the Brasileirão Feminino U-20 with six wins in six games, Flamengo continues in strong preparation for the first leg of the quarterfinals next Thursday (31), against Fortaleza, at 15 pm, at Estádio Presidente Vargas. Current champion of the competition, Rubro-Negro will have the advantage of deciding at home due to the good performance in all matches so far.

The Meninas da Gávea scored 40 goals and conceded only one. This extremely positive goal difference attests to the attacking DNA of Filipe Torres' team. The coach believes this characteristic is crucial to achieving the objectives set during the preseason in January.

"We had a great performance in the group stage, earning 18 points. I congratulate the group and my coaching staff for the work they've done since the beginning of the year. We know the importance of being competitive and constantly looking for goals. Flamengo behaves that way. We built our qualification day by day with great commitment and dedication. We won both head-to-head matches in the group and played our part in the other matches. In this type of competition, every game is a final," he said.

One of the key aspects was the rotation of the squad. Some younger players—like full-backs Isa Kotait and Laura Mariah, and midfielder Letícia Pinho—were given ample space and seized opportunities. In the coach's view, the minutes distributed within the group made a difference.

"In these six games, we managed to rotate the squad well. It's important to emphasize that all of them are essential and important to our development process. Virtually all of the players participated in the first phase, so qualification depends on that. We mixed the team, and they united behind the goal. Regardless of age, what we look for here at Flamengo are talented girls who understand the club's DNA," he explained.

The main objective of Mais Querido is the title, but to get there it is necessary to understand all the scenarios and Filipe points out the path to be taken with a focus on repeating the feat of 2024.

"Now it's a new championship. In the knockout stage, there's no room for compromise. We're expecting two tough games, and we have to give it our all to qualify. Our progress is clear, but we need to redouble our attention. It's the details that will decide. We want to lead Flamengo to the top of Brazil once again," he concluded.