Top of the Brasileirão, Vizeu starring: Flamengo's 2018 World Cup break | OneFootball

Flamengo and Cruzeiro could play in the Libertadores round of 16 starting on August 11

Flamengo’s last match before the break for the 2026 World Cup takes place this Saturday (30). So, the break brings back memories of 2018, when Mengo reached the stoppage and secured qualification for the Libertadores round of 16 before the World Cup.

In 2022, the World Cup took place in December because of the weather in Qatar. Therefore, Brazilian football had already wrapped up its activities. However, in 2018, Maurício Barbieri’s team gave the Rubro-Negro fans false hope, with Felipe Vizeu as the standout after scoring three goals in a row.

What did Flamengo do in 2018?

The Rubro-Negro opened up a six-point lead over Atlético MG after beating Paraná in the 11th round of the Brasileirão. In the Libertadores, Mengo qualified for the round of 16 in second place with four draws and two wins.

So, the tournament in Russia caused the break and made it seem like Fla were doing well in both competitions. However, Mengo did not win the Brasileirão and were knocked out in the Libertadores round of 16 by Cruzeiro.

So, will the feat be repeated?

Unlike the previous break, the Rubro-Negro are second in the Brasileirão and qualified first in the Libertadores. Thus, Fla are going through the season in a way that does not resemble 2018.

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