One year after losing the Copa Libertadores to Palmeiras 2-1, Flamengo returns to the fray in pursuit of its third title in the history of the tournament, which in 2022 celebrates 63 editions, and in coincidence with the fifth final between Brazilian teams .
It will be a decision tinged with red and black that will be played in 52 days, on October 29, at the Monumental Isidro Romero Carbó stadium in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil.
Red and black final because they are the colors that identify Flamengo, which last night eliminated the Argentine Vélez Sársfield, and Atlético Paranaense, which on Wednesday left Palmeiras, champion of 2021, 2020 and 1999, in the gutter.
The ‘Furacao’ (Hurricane) from the city of Curitiba also knows what it’s like to play, and lose in the Copa Libertadores, an authentically Brazilian final.
In 2005 he was excited to draw 1-1 in Curitiba with Sao Paulo, whose representative colors are white, red and black, but the title dream vanished when he fell 4-0 at the Morumbi stadium.
That year was the first decision between Brazilian teams in the Libertadores, which began to be played in 1960.
A year later, the Brazilian clubs once again imposed their hegemony among the ten Conmebol countries.
The champion Sao Paulo was caressing the fourth title in 2006, but could not beat Internacional, the red team from Porto Alegre that won 1-2 at Morumbi, and lost 2-2 at the Beira-Rio stadium.
For 2019, coinciding with the celebration of the sixtieth edition, the Copa Libertadores began to be played in a single match.
In 2020 the Brazilians Santos and Palmeiras, iconic clubs from Sao Paulo, reached the final. The white team made famous by Pelé fell 1-0 to the Verdiblanca formation.
And on November 27, 2021, exactly 9 months and 9 days ago, the red and black Flamengo lost 2-1 to the verdiblancos Palmeiras at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo.
At the crucial meeting on October 29 in Guayaquil, Flamengo arrives strengthened and with another title already in his pocket thanks to the superlative level of the tournament’s top scorer Pedro Guilherme Abreu dos Santos, who today consolidated his position by scoring the provisional tie in the victory by 2-1 in Rio de Janeiro over Velez.
It was the twelfth goal for Pedro ‘el Grande’, an astonishing win, if you take into account that his main pursuers scored seven and are already eliminated: the Argentinian from Vélez Lucas Janson and the Brazilians from Palmeiras Rony and Rafael Navarro.
But the surprising Athlético Paranaense seems to feel comfortable when facing rivals with declared favoritism.
To go no further, in the semifinals they eliminated the champion of the last two editions of the Libertadores. The 1-0 victory over Palmeiras in Curitiba seemed insufficient for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men, who ultimately came out on top after drawing 2-2.
The final dyed red and black of the 63rd edition of the Copa Libertadores could bring the third title to Flamengo or the first to Athético Paranaense. And leave one of the two clubs with the stain of having lost two Brazilian finals of the tournament.
