Flamengo beats Bahia 3-2 and reaches first Copa do Brasil Feminina final
Núbia, Fernanda and Sandoval scored at Luso-Brasileiro. The final against Internacional starts on Wednesday (11)
Automatically translated from Portuguese. Read the original in Portuguese
Flamengo's women's football team wrote a new page on Saturday night (7). Playing at Estádio Luso-Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, the red-and-black side beat Bahia 3-2 and secured a place in the final of the Copa do Brasil Feminina, the club's first in this competition. Since the first leg in Salvador had ended goalless, the home win was enough to seal qualification.
The match started well for the hosts. As early as the third minute of the first half, defender Núbia opened the scoring. Bahia responded and equalised in the 36th minute, through Cássia, from a penalty. After the restart, Flamengo wasted no time in retaking the lead: in the third minute, Fernanda took advantage of a rebound off the goalkeeper and made it 2-1.
Calm seemed to return in the 38th minute of the second half, when Sandoval, who had come off the bench, extended the lead with a fine strike. There was still time for a scare: in the 42nd minute, Ellen pulled one back for Tricolor de Aço and kept the fans on edge until the final whistle. The scoreline, however, did not change, and the celebrations belonged to Flamengo.
The goalscorers left the pitch emotional. In statements released by the club, Sandoval thanked the team for its trust: "Flamengo believed in me and I was able to repay them with the goal. So, so happy". Fernanda, who conceded the penalty that gave Bahia the equaliser and then scored the second goal, spoke of overcoming adversity: "I went through some difficult moments recently. In the game, I was able to recover, it was pure grit. This is Flamengo". The team is led by head coach Celso Silva.
The opponent in the final was decided on Sunday morning (8): Internacional, who lost 2-0 to RB Bragantino, saw the aggregate score end level and came out on top in the penalty shootout, 5-4. The final will be played over two legs, on Wednesday (11) and Sunday (15). Kick-off times and venues have yet to be announced, and the order of home matches will be decided in a CBF draw scheduled for this Monday (9), starting at noon, Brasília time.
Sources: Flamengo (official site) · Terra · CBF. Source: Itasat
