Vinicius shines and Fla beats Palmeiras on penalties
Goalkeeper saves three shots and Rubro-Negro wins two more points in the U-23 Cup
By From the official website team - inFlamengo's second game in the U-23 Cup, against Palmeiras at the Los Larios stadium in Xerém, was a thrilling affair. After taking the lead with a goal from Borja, the team conceded an equalizer, and the match, which ended 1-1, was decided only by penalty kicks. And goalkeeper Vinícius shone, saving three penalties to secure Flamengo's 3-1 victory.
\With the result, the Gávea team adds two more points to their standings, reaching five. Renato Trindade's team's next challenge is against Internacional on Saturday (October 02.10) in Porto Alegre. After that, Flamengo faces a derby against Vasco on the 7th.
\"It was a great game, we left the field very tired, the team was very dedicated and the result was worth it. That extra point was important, we talked there at the end of the game that it was essential to get the victory, even on penalties and we got the result", said midfielder Rômulo at the end of the game.
Scoreboard stays at zero
The standout performer of the first half was midfielder Willian Amendoim. The number 7 jersey was the main outlet for Flamengo's attack and created the most important scoring chances. Just two minutes in, a one-two between Fernando and Leandro Amaral nearly opened the scoring. After that, Palmeiras began to dominate possession, while the team from Gávea sought to surprise with counterattacks.
Even more so after Leo Medeiros, number 10 and team captain, felt thigh pain and was replaced by young Juninho. Amendoim then took over the creative role and created at least three good scoring chances: in the 20th minute with a good individual play, in the 30th minute with a foul he suffered after dribbling past a defender, and in the 45th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box. But the score remained tied.
Goals and excitement in the second half
The second half began with Flamengo pressing and Palmeiras trying to counterattack. Once again, coach Renato Trindade opted for youth over experience: he took off Leandro Amaral and brought on Vander. And with the number 8's first play, the Red-Blacks opened the scoring: Vander headed the ball to Rômulo, who burst into the box and crossed for Cristian Borja to score his second goal of the competition and make it 1-0 in the 24th minute.
The lead, however, didn't last long. Four minutes later, Palmeiras equalized. Then, Renato decided to make another change: he replaced midfielder Fernando with defender China, moving Rômulo into midfield. However, the match remained 1-1, and the game went to a penalty shootout.
Maximum Penalties
As stipulated in the regulations, there are no draws in the U-23 Cup: if the match ends in a draw after regulation time, the decision goes to penalties. This is how the match between Palmeiras and Flamengo was decided. And the red-and-blacks prevailed thanks to the talent of goalkeeper Vinícius. He saved three opposing shots, and even though defender Lucão missed his, Flamengo won 3-1, with goals from Antônio, Juninho, and Cristian Borja.
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