flamencocurrent champion of the Copa Libertadores, won this Sunday 3-1 against Vasco da Gama in the second leg of the semifinals of the Carioca Championship and guaranteed their classification to the final of the Brazilian regional tournament, in which they will face fluminense.
The team led by coach Vítor Pereira won with two goals from Pedro, the second from a penalty with ten minutes to go in the game, and one from Ayrton Lucas in the replacement minutes, while the Argentine defender Manuel Vicente Capasso discounted for Vasco da Spectrum.
The team made up of the Uruguayan World Cup players Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Guillermo Varela and the Chileans Arturo Vidal and Erick Pulgar had already beaten Vasco 3-2 in the first leg, last Monday also at the Maracana, for which they advanced to the final with two victories.
In the decision of the second most important regional tournament in Brazil, which will have round-trip matches on April 2 and 9, Flamengo and Fluminense will reissue the famous classic Fla-Flu, which has decided so many times the champion from Rio de Janeiro.
Fluminense, who defends the Rio de Janeiro title won last year, advanced to the final after beating Volta Redonda 7-0 on Saturday, with four goals from Argentine Germán Ezequiel Cano.
The derby between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama was even in the first half, with options for both sides. But Flamengo, that last year conquered the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil, managed to open the scoring in the 15th minute of the first half thanks to a shot by Pedro that deceived goalkeeper Léo Jardim when it was deflected by a touch from defender Jair.
From that moment on, Vasco launched the attack and took advantage of some flaws in Flamengo’s defense to get dangerously close to Santos’ goal. In one of the advances, Capasso took advantage of a corner kick to equalize the score and maintain his balance until the end of the first half.
Gabigol and De Arrascaeta, substituted
In the second half, the Basques were more insistent in attacking, forcing Pereira to replace striker Gabriel Barbosa ‘Gabigol’ and D’Arrascaeta, who apparently suffered an old injury again, which earned the coach booing. for his own hobby.
The balance was maintained until minute 36 when Pedro put Flamengo ahead by perfectly taking a penalty with which the referee punished a violent play by Capasso.
Flamengo put the final figures in the 46th minute of the second half after Ayrton Lucas, after a free kick taken by Pedro, passed Capasso on the left and put a ball past goalkeeper Léo Jardim.
Qualifying for the final alleviates the situation of Pereira, who is being questioned about being eliminated this year in the Club World Cup, the South American Cup Winners’ Cup and the Brazilian Super Cup, while leaving Vasco da Gama on the ropes, who this week also it was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil.
The other finalist for Carioca will be Fluminense, who on Saturday, also at the Maracanã, thrashed Volta Redonda 7-0 with four goals from Argentine nationalized Colombian Germán Ezequiel Cano and scores from Samuel Xavier, Alexsander and Martinelli.
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