GUAYAQUIL - Flamengo, champion of the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores in 1981, waited 38 years to return to the Cup final. This time, the wait for the nation was much shorter. After winning its second title in 2019 with a 2-1 victory over River Plate in Lima, the "Mais Querido" is back in the final. With a 2-0 victory over Barcelona de Guayaquil, and another great performance by Bruno Henrique, Flamengo will face Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores final on November 27 in Montevideo. The final, which will feature the last two champions, will be played at the Centenario Stadium, the site of Flamengo's first Libertadores triumph 40 years ago.

With the victory in Guayaquil, Mengão completed 17 unbeaten games in the Libertadores, tying record holder Sporting Cristal (Peru). Their last loss was to Del Valle on September 17, 2020. Furthermore, Flamengo secured its place as the best attack in the current edition, with 32 goals. To top it all off, coach Renato Gaúcho reached 50 Libertadores victories and became the most successful coach in the World Cup.

Less than ten minutes into the match, Flamengo lost defender David Luiz to a left thigh muscle injury. Gustavo Henrique replaced him. The defender's departure didn't dampen the team's spirits, as they withstood some minor pressure from Barcelona. Space began to open up, and in the 17th minute, Everton Ribeiro, with a spectacular pass, left Bruno Henrique free to score. The striker dribbled past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0 for Mengão.

The scoreline, already strong from the start, just got even better. With a 3-0 aggregate lead, Flamengo would only miss out on the final if they conceded four goals without scoring any more. The second goal was only missed in the 20th minute by a whim. In a sensational play by the Flamengo attack, Andreas Pereira hit the post with a beautiful shot.
    
Despite the disadvantage, Barcelona didn't lose heart. They only didn't score because Diego Alves, with another great performance, came out on top, making some great saves in the first half.

The second half began with a stunning goal from Flamengo. In a classic counterattack, Gabi delivered a masterful pass to Everton Ribeiro, who cut inside and passed to Bruno Henrique, who finished into the net to make it 2-0.

With their spot in the final assured, Flamengo took control of the game and even had a chance to increase their lead with Gabi. In the end, the Ecuadorian fans applauded Mengão, recognizing the red-and-black team's superiority.

CREDITS:

BARCELONA (EQU): Burrai, Castillo, León, Riveros and Pineida; Carcelén (Perlaza), Piñatares, Preciado (Damián Diaz), Martinéz and Garcés (Cortez); Mastriani. COACH: Fabian Justos

FLAMENGO: Diego Alves, Isla, Rodrigo Caio, David Luiz (Gustavo Henrique) and Filipe Luiz (Renê); Willian Arão, Andreas Pereira (Bruno Viana), Everton Ribeiro and Arrascaeta (Pedro); Gabi and Bruno Henrique (Michael). COACH: Renato Gaucho.

GOALS: First half - Bruno Henrique at 17 minutes. Second half - Bruno Henrique at 4 minutes

JUDGE: Roberto Tobar (Chile):

YELLOW CARDS: Andreas Pereira, León, Piñatares, Willian Arão.