Undefeated, U-17 wins Adidas Cup in the USA
In the Brazilian final, Falmengo defeated Atlético-PR and lifted the trophy that was almost won in 2017.
By Flamengo - in
Undefeated champion! Flamengo defeated Atlético Paranaense on Saturday night to win the 2018 Generations Adidas Cup trophy. The competition was held in Texas, USA, and the "Mais Querido" (Flamengo) was the undisputed champion, winning every match. In the final, a duel between Brazilian teams, a 1-0 victory over Atlético Paranaense gave the title to Mengão, who had finished runner-up the previous season. João Gabriel scored the winning goal in the first half.
The game was very tight, with neither team creating much. Flamengo still had more possession and dominance, but with few effective chances. Even so, in the 34th minute, they opened the scoring, taking advantage of a blunder by Atlético's defense. Brian crossed from the right; the ball bounced and eluded the defenders, finding João Gabriel free to score. Fun fact: João is the son of former player Lê, who scored the goal that gave Flamengo the 99 Mercosur title.
With the advantage, Phelipe Leal's team began to capitalize on Atlético's counterattacks. The second half continued this trend, but neither team managed to find the net. Knowing they wouldn't face much of a threat, Mengão tried to pass the ball around and wait for the clock to run out before celebrating the title.
The campaign
Flamengo was in Group B of the Champions League and won all three of its matches, against Portland Timbers (5-0), Independiente Del Valle (2-1), and Atlanta United (3-1). Having qualified for the semifinals, it faced River Plate, which it defeated 1-0. The team scored 12 goals and conceded only two. With four goals, Rhyan received the competition's top scorer trophy, and João Gomes was named the tournament's best player.