Flamengo fans pray in Lima for fourth Libertadores title | OneFootball

Fans of Flamengo turned to faith this Saturday and visited churches in Lima to pray for a victory for their beloved team hours before the 2025 Copa Libertadores final against Palmeiras at the Monumental Stadium.

The champion will be the first Brazilian club to win the competition four times. At the top of the winners' list remains Independiente from Argentina, with seven titles.

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In a Lima practically taken over by thousands of Brazilians, a scene went viral on social media: red-black fans praying in the Catholic church Virgen Milagrosa, during a pilgrimage through the tourist district of Miraflores.

“I came to win my fourth championship, today Flamengo will win 3-0. That's why I came to ask Saint Jude Thaddeus to bless us with another victory,” said Alexandre, a 45-year-old fan, to AFP. He traveled from Rio de Janeiro to the Peruvian capital with his wife and daughter.

“I come to ask from above for everything to go well. I have faith in Mengão being the champion at the Monumental,” declared Edson Benavides, 38, to AFP. He came from Bahia and had already been in Lima for the 2019 Libertadores final, when Flamengo defeated River Plate 2-1.

Some fans wearing the red-black jersey even knelt in the church before heading to the Monumental Stadium. The religious ritual is one of the rare moments when fans of Mengão gather from across the most Catholic country in the world.

Brazilian Invasion

More than 50,000 fans of Flamengo and Palmeiras traveled to the Peruvian capital to watch the Libertadores final this Saturday.

Fla is the most popular club in Brazil, while Verdão, the biggest champion of the Brazilian Championship with 12 titles, also attracts a loyal fan base.

To ensure safety in a city under a state of emergency due to cases of extortion and homicides linked to organized crime, Peruvian authorities mobilized more than 1,600 police officers for the game in Lima.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.