Flamengo edge Mexico thriller, reach basketball Libertadores semis | OneFootball

Flamengo overcame Astros from Mexico, away from home, and secured a spot in the Final Four

Pure red-and-black spirit! With grit, a packed gym cheering against them, and on the final shot! In the early hours from Friday (13th) to Saturday (14th), the Flamengo basketball team qualified for the semifinals of the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA). With the winning basket on the last play, the Pride of the Nation defeated Astros from Mexico 77 to 75, in a match held in Guadalajara.

With eight seconds left in the game, the match seemed headed for overtime, tied at 75 to 75. However, the Argentine Negrete had the ball of the game, drove to the basket, was fouled, and even while falling, managed to make the winning shot with a beautiful drive. The point guard stood out in the game, scoring 12 points, second only to Gui Deodato (16) and Shaq Johnson (13) for Mengo.

HOW WAS THE GAME?

In the first match, at Maracanãzinho, Flamengo also beat the Mexican team by a two-point difference. In other words, the challenge would not be easy for Sergio Hernandez’s squad away from home. However, the Most Beloved surprised and took the lead in the first quarter, opening 25 to 16.

However, the excellent lead dropped in the second quarter. The Astros team, inspired from beyond the arc, managed to close the gap. Therefore, the teams went to the locker rooms with Flamengo three points ahead (43 to 40).

The Astros kept rising after halftime. With Flamengo distracted and with a low offensive performance, the home team managed to turn the game around. However, a three-pointer from Alexey at the very end of the period kept Mengo alive in the match. Thus, the Mexicans took the lead: 57 to 55.

It became all or nothing in the final quarter. Flamengo started ‘on fire’ and turned the game around with four straight points from Negrete. With one minute left in the match, the Most Beloved was ahead by four points, but Astros fought back, tying it at 75.

However, with eight seconds to go, Negrete made history and scored the basket that clinched qualification! Mengão is in another BCLA semifinal, without the need for a third game (which would have been in Mexico, this Saturday, the 14th). It’s worth noting that the opponent had a 100% record in the competition until they faced the Most Beloved.

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT BASKETBALL GAME?

As a Champions semifinalist, Flamengo will wait for the results of the other knockouts to find out their opponent. Meanwhile, the focus returns to Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). On Thursday (19th), the Pride of the Nation faces Pinheiros at 6 p.m. (Brasília time), at Maracanãzinho.

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