Neither the struggle to regain the lead nor the absences dampened Flamengo's youth team's desire to beat Tigres this Sunday morning in Gávea. Despite playing without many of their starters and needing a combination of results to stay in contention for the Taça Guanabara title, the Flamengo team crushed the Xerém team 5-1. Saba (2), Lucas (2), and Paquetá scored.

The expectation was that the match would be evenly matched. After all, Flamengo was fielding a mixed team, and their opponent was none other than the current Rio de Janeiro champions. But, with great effort and proving the strength of their squad, coach Armênio Moura's team made the most of their home advantage and gave Tigres no chance.

Midfielder Saba, returning from injury, was one of the standout performers of the match. He missed the last two rounds, but against Tigres, he found the net twice. In the second half, striker Lucas was given a chance in place of Dudu and did not disappoint. He also scored twice in the rout, which was completed by Paquetá.

"Our team played quite shorthanded. I had to improvise a defender at left-back, but we did very well. The team fought hard, played well, and got a great result," explained coach Armênio Moura.

Cheering
Flamengo played with Marcelo Carné, Leo, Michel, Marlon, and Christianno; Luiz Antônio, João Vitor, Guilherme, and Saba; Paquetá and Dudu (Lucas). In the afternoon, all these players will have another important commitment: cheering against Fluminense and Vasco. With two rounds remaining in the Guanabara Cup, the team is in first place in the competition, with 29 points and a game in hand over their rivals.

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Fluminense is tied with 28 points, and Vasco has 26, but both still play this Saturday. Botafogo also plays later and has XNUMX. Fluminense plays Madureira away, and Vasco hosts Americano at São Januário. Botafogo also plays Volta Redonda in the Steel City.