Flamengo beat Barcelona on penalties and win the Intercontinental U-20 Championship for the second time

It was a thrilling final minute! Flamengo is the two-time U-20 Intercontinental Cup champion after defeating Barcelona 6-5 on penalties at the Maracanã stadium, following a 2-2 draw in regulation time. The "Garotos do Ninho" (The Boys from the Nest) took the lead with a goal from Lorran early in the match. In the second half, the Spanish team equalized and even came back in stoppage time. As the Flamengo motto is to fight until the end, the brilliant Flamengo captain Iago scored the equalizer in the final kick of the match, taking the decision to penalties. 

In the penalty shootout, Leo Nanetti shone, making two saves and playing a key role in Mengão's second U-20 World Cup victory. In order, João Victor, Iago, Pablo, Felipe Teresa, Lorran, and Carbone converted the penalties for Mengão. With this victory, Mengão became the most successful team in the competition's history. It's worth remembering that the red-and-black youth team defeated Olympiacos (GRE) 2-1 last year, also at Maracanã. 

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The game

The match started evenly, with Flamengo pressing forward to try to steal the ball in the attacking half. And the pressure paid off in the tenth minute! Lorran intercepted Farré's pass on the right, advanced quickly, and passed to Matheus Gonçalves. The number 10 burst into the box and collided with the defender. The rebound fell to Lorran, who slotted home to open the scoring at Maracanã: 1-0. 

After the goal, Barcelona began to hold the ball longer, trying to attack, but the red-and-black defense was very strong and blocked the opponent's advances. The Boys from the Nest threatened again in the 29th minute. Lorran provided a good pass to Joshua on the left, who burst into the box and shot at goal. Aller made the save. 

Another good chance came in the 38th minute. Matheus Gonçalves took a free kick into the box, Gistau cleared it, and the ball fell to Guilherme, who took a shot that sailed over the crossbar. In the final minutes of the first half, Virgili hit the post and nearly tied the match. The Red-Blacks went into halftime with a partial lead. 

In the second half, Barcelona came back attacking in search of an equalizer and held more possession. Flamengo, on the other hand, waited longer to exploit counterattacks. In the 12th minute, Shola, who had just come on, made a run on the left side of the box and passed to Joshua, who struck hard. Aller kicked the ball out for a corner. 

Barcelona equalized in the 25th minute. Virgili chipped the ball past Iago, cut inside, got past Carbone, and finished past Léo Nanetti: 1-1. This result sent the match to penalties. With the score tied, the game remained open in the final stretch, with both teams searching for the winning goal. 

In stoppage time, Barcelona scored their second goal with Cortés, who headed past Leo Nanetti to make it 2-1. But the red-and-black spirit of fighting to the last drop of sweat prevailed, and Mengão equalized in the final play. Daniel Sales sent a long ball into the box, and captain Iago headed it with skill, lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper and leveling the score again: 2-2. The result sent the game to penalties.

In the penalty shootout, Mengão prevailed, winning 6-5, with goalkeeper Leo Nanetti excelling, saving two penalties. FLAMENGO IS THE TWO-TIME CHAMPION OF THE INTERCONTINENTAL U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP!

Flamengo 

Leo Nanetti; Daniel Sales, Iago, João Victor and Gusttavo (Carbone); João Alves (Fabiano), Guilherme (Pablo Lucio) and Matheus Gonçalves; Joshua (Felipe Teresa), Lorran and Pedro Leão (Shola). 
Coach: Bruno Pivetti. 

Barcelona

Aller; Xavi Espart, Cuenca, Cortés and Farré (Oduro); Fariñas (Parriego), Junyent (Shane Kluivert) and Pedro Rodríguez (Tommy Marqués); Juan Hernández, Virgili and Gistau (Nomoko). 
Coach: Belletti. 

Technical sheet

Flamengo 2(6)x2(5) Barcelona – U20 Intercontinental Cup
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 23/08/2025 at 16:30 am
Arbitration: Jhon Ospina (COL), Richard Ortiz (COL) and David Fuentes (COL)
Yellow cards: Guilherme (FLA), Pedro Rodríguez (BAR), Pedro Leão (FLA), Kluivert (BAR) and Iago (FLA)
Goals: Lorran (10'1ºT), Virgili (25'2ºT), Cortés (49'2ºT) and Iago (51'2ºT).