Fluminense seal Brasileirão U17 knockout spot with best defence | OneFootball

After the 1-0 defeat to Bahia last Wednesday (30), the Moleques de Xerém secured a top-four finish in the Brasileiro U-17 and qualified for the knockout stage of the competition. In the quarterfinals, Tricolor will face Cruzeiro, who finished fifth with 34 points, in matches scheduled for October 6 and 13. On the other side of the bracket are Palmeiras and Atlético-MG.

Flu will host the second leg of their first knockout tie and could keep that advantage all the way to the final, as long as they do not come up against Corinthians, Red Bull Bragantino, or Palmeiras themselves. If the aggregate score is tied, the decision will go to penalties.

During their run in the competition, Fluminense finished the first stage with the best defense and remained unbeaten in state derby matches. Tricolor totaled 11 wins, four draws, and four defeats. Among the other qualified teams, they beat Flamengo (1-0) away from home, as well as Fortaleza (3-0) and Red Bull Bragantino (2-0) in Xerém. Against Atlético-MG and Corinthians, they drew 0-0 and 1-1 in Belo Horizonte and São Paulo, respectively.

“Our main objective when we started this journey was to stay in the top four and push for first place. The championship is very long and difficult. We were challenged in ways that really put our ideas to the test, with players injured or away with the youth national teams, but we put our energy into what we can control. I’m very happy with what we’ve done so far. It’s an important position for the rest of the competition and it stamps the quality the boys have shown,” said head coach Felipe Canavan.

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