There are finals and finals. There are the decisions that bring together great teams from different places, and there are the decisions that pit classics with millions of fans against each other. Or rather, the Clássico dos Milhões (The Classic of Millions). In the Brazilian Championship, the chances of two teams from the same city making it to a final other than a state final are slim. And when the two teams are their own antagonists, their greatest rivals, water and oil, this final takes on epic proportions, as it did in 2006, with Flamengo and Vasco da Gama deciding the title.

If the 1990 Copa do Brasil competed with the World Cup in Italy, the 2006 edition also had influence from the FIFA competition. However, this time there were no games on the same date, just a one-month gap between the semifinal and the final, which caused a lot of excitement for Flamengo. But before we get to that, let's recap the red-and-black team's journey to their second title. 

Flamengo was going through a turbulent period in 2006. They had a subpar campaign in the Campeonato Carioca, and in the previous year's Brasileirão, they escaped an unprecedented relegation in the final rounds. The team lacked the fans' trust at the beginning of the season, but in the Copa do Brasil, at least, the situation was different. As the victories came, support grew. And before they knew it, there was the "Mais Querido" (the Most Beloved) in another final. Then, they let it happen...

Just like in 1990, the journey began against a team from Alagoas. But this time it wasn't against a group of players who had gathered five days before the game. It was against the traditional ASA de Arapiraca, known for its many mischief-making performances in the Copa do Brasil. And in the first game, the impression quickly emerged that they were up to another one. Playing in a packed Municipal Arapiraca Stadium, the Rubro-Negro fell behind. In the 31st minute of the first half, Denílson opened the scoring for the home team. From then on, the pressure from the Rio de Janeiro team continued until Ronaldo Angelim (the only Ronaldo possible) found the winning goal with a loose ball in the box, which Luizão headed poorly after a corner kick. The draw wasn't good enough and didn't eliminate the return leg in Rio. 

Will it be easy at Maracanã? Well... Remember how ASA liked to mess things up? Just 14 minutes in, Cascata (no lie) made it 1-0 for the Alagoas team. But, calmly and with a much superior team, Flamengo turned the game around in the first half, with Renato Silva and Peralta. Then, they managed the result until the final whistle. 

In the next round, they returned to the northeast, this time to Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte. The match was against ABC, another team accustomed to upsetting the big teams. Once again, it was a tight, difficult game, with the ball stubbornly refusing to go in, until Ronaldo Angelim, the legendary defender, stepped up to make up for what the attackers weren't able to do. In the 32nd minute, he received a perfect cross from Leo Moura and, with a diving header, sent the ball into the back of the net, scoring the only goal. Once again, Flamengo didn't eliminate the second leg, but that wasn't a problem. At Maracanã, the plays flowed smoothly, and the victory came without any scares, 4-0, with Renato Abreu scoring twice and the attack redeeming itself: Luizão and Ramirez scored on their chances. 

In the round of 5, the opponent was the once-traditional Guarani, from Campinas. The São Paulo team was already beginning to experience a poor administrative and technical run that cost them dearly. And on the field, Flamengo took no notice. Playing at the Maracanã, the first leg was a massacre. The final score ended 1-1 because the referee blew the final whistle. Renato Abreu, with two goals, Leo Moura, Juan, and Obina were the executioners of the night. The Rubro-Negro's stellar performance sealed the deal, turning the second leg into mere formality. Even with Guarani leading 0-XNUMX, Flamengo was never in danger of losing its spot and was already thinking about its next opponent, an old rival. 

Flamengo enjoyed a comfortable first-leg victory and ignored Atlético Mineiro at the Maracanã. With a stellar performance from Renato Abreu, the "Mais Querido" crushed the team 4-1, once again proving the return leg pointless. Renato scored twice, one 18 seconds into the second half, and also saw Obina and Jônatas score to secure the victory. In the return leg, at the Mineirão, a 0-0 draw at the Mineirão stadium sealed their place in the semifinals against the competition's sensational team. 

In 2006, Ipatinga was the best the Copa do Brasil has to offer. Year after year, a small team makes it far thanks to the competition's format and also due to factors that only football can explain. In this edition, the team from the small city of 260 inhabitants in the interior of Minas Gerais kept going, eliminating Botafogo with two thrashings, going a little further, crushing Náutico with further thrashings, and then they did it, beating Santos in the quarterfinals, and before they knew it, they were already in the semifinals against Flamengo. 

But if the Minas Gerais team had the surprise factor, Flamengo had the better one than Eto'o. Obna opened the scoring in the first leg and was a key player in the return leg at home, but it was Renato Abreu who really decided the game, once again. With a 2-1 victory at home, the ghost was duly eliminated, and the cup would be decided by a long-awaited final. 

Flamengo vs. Vasco. If the rivalry wasn't enough, there was a Rodrigo Mendes goal, a second goal with a keepy-uppie, a third with a Pet goal, and three more goals from Jean to spice up the final. From 99 to 2004, there were four state championships between the two teams, all of which ended in Flamengo victory. Vasco hadn't won a title against Flamengo since 1988. Everyone wanted to see this final, the game that would be worth it all, the first time Rio's biggest teams would face each other in a national final. 

But they had to wait two months for that. 

Thanks to the World Cup in Germany, Flamengo and Vasco spent 60 days training alone, focusing on the battle ahead. Fate would have it that the teams had this time. Time that was crucial for Flamengo. Unexpectedly, coach Waldemar Lemos was fired from the club, and his replacement was Ipatinga coach Ney Franco, who had been defeated by Waldemar in the semifinals. Brazil was discovering a new name, and Ney Franco accepted the challenge of a title shot on his debut. 

Thus, Flamengo and Vasco took the field on July 19, 2006, in a Maracanã stadium disfigured and half-complete due to yet another renovation, for their first battle. The Mais Querido's first shot came in the 14th minute of the second half. Obina hit a beautiful shot and opened the scoring. The lead arrived, but it was still small. Two minutes later, Luizão doubled the lead, giving the match its final score. 

It would be another week before the final match. A week of Flamengo playing in true Minas Gerais style, quiet and measured, and a Vasco team that sought, with words, to encourage its fans to believe in the result. They promised to make up the difference, saying that 2-0 wasn't such a big advantage. But 15 minutes into the match, Valdir Papel, the striker chosen by Renato Gaúcho to try to turn the game around, was sent off, hurting the Vasco team. With a man up, Flamengo let loose, and 10 minutes later, Juan sealed the deal, opening up a 3-0 aggregate lead and putting another title on the table over their biggest rival. Flamengo, two-time Copa do Brasil champions.