February 24th. This is the ideal date for Flamengo to prove that they haven't been discouraged by their elimination to Botafogo on Wednesday night in the Guanabara Cup semifinal. After all, this is the day the Flamengo team plays its first game in the 2010 Copa Libertadores da América, which is considered the crown jewel of the Gávea team's management and squad this season. At the same Maracanã stadium, the venue for the match against the black and whites, the team hosts Universidad Católica, looking to start the international competition on the right foot.

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Adriano believes this isn't the time for the red-and-black players to lose heart. Quite the opposite. The team from Gávea, he says, can't be discouraged by the result; after all, they played well and were eliminated on the nick of time.

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"Flamengo played better. We'll keep going without giving up. There's still a lot ahead of us, and we have to keep our heads held high. We don't always have joy, that's football," he said.

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Coach Andrade agrees. According to him, now is the time to work toward a strong Libertadores debut. Despite this, Tromba isn't ignoring the Campeonato Carioca. He also wants to win the Taça Rio.

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"In principle, we're going to prioritize the Libertadores, but we also want to fight for the Taça Rio and the fourth Carioca championship," he said.