There was the usual tension of a decisive match. Today was a spot in the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL South American Cup at stake, and Flamengo needed a win to advance. And it was with this mindset that the team took the field to decide the match in the first half against Chapecoense, at Ilha do Urubu, on Wednesday night. Thus, the 4-0 score, with two goals in the first half and two in the second, was fair and showed which team wanted the spot more. 

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The first half was all red and black. With over 60% possession, the Mais Querido dominated the action from start to finish and built a 2-0 lead in the first half, with goals from midfielders Cuéllar and Willian Arão. They still had other chances, but the ball stubbornly refused to go in. 

Needing a goal, Flamengo pushed forward from the start. And they were rewarded early. In the sixth minute, Trauco passed the ball to Guerrero, who tried to dribble past goalkeeper Jandrei, fell, but the ball fell to Cuéllar, who tapped it into an empty net. Chapecoense complained loudly to the referee, as the assistant referee had ruled them offside. But referee Michael Espinoza saw a header by Douglas Grolli, which left Guerrero, who was advanced, in a legal position, and allowed the goal. 

Rubro-Negro wanted more. In the 14th minute, Berrío was released and went one-on-one with Jandrei, but the goalkeeper got lucky in the challenge and the ball missed the goal. But in the 22nd minute, there was no way out. Guerrero made a great play and crossed to Willian Arão in the six-yard box. The midfielder beat the goalkeeper and scored the second. Two minutes later, Réver lined up and passed to Berrío, again in front of Jandrei, but the Colombian mishandled the ball, which went out for a goal kick. In the 35th minute, Guerrero also had a chance inside the box, but shot over the bar. The first half ended with the score at 2-0, but it could have been more. 

Second time

In the final stage, Flamengo didn't slow down and kept pressing their opponent. They wanted to score one more to seal the result. And in the 17th minute, the ball went in once again. Juan, in an excellent performance, collected a rebound from Guerreiro's header and scored the third. With the goal, Juan reached 31 with the Sacred Mantle, two behind Júnior Baiano, Flamengo's all-time leading defender-scorer. 

With the game settled, Flamengo started passing the ball around and waited for the clock to tick down. Rueda brought on Gabriel, Lucas Paquetá, and Vinícius Junior in place of Berrío, Guerrero, and Diego, respectively. And there was still time for one more. In the 43rd minute, Everton Ribeiro found Lucas Paquetá, who took the ball past the goalkeeper and sealed the deal. 

Flamengo 3 x 0 Chapecoense
20/09/2017 - Vulture Island
Conmebol South American Cup
Flamengo: Diego Alves, Pará, Réver, Juan and Trauco. Cuéllar, Arão and Diego. Berrío (Gabriel), Guerrero and Everton Ribeiro.
Coach: Reinaldo Rueda

Chapecoense: Jandrei, Apodi, Douglas Grolli, Fabrício Bruno and Diego Renan. Moses Ribeiro (Luis Antonio), Lucas Marques and Lucas Mineiro. Penilla, Wellington Paulista and Arthur. 
Coach: Emerson Cris

Goals: First half: Cuéllar (9 minutes) and Willian Arão (21 minutes); Second half: Juan (17 minutes)