Flamengo defeats LDU at Maracanã and remains in the Libertadores

On Libertadores night at Maracanã, Flamengo did their homework by beating LDU 2-0, this Thursday (15), in the fifth round of Group C. Léo Ortiz and Luiz Araújo scored for the red-black team. With the result, Mengão passed the Ecuadorians in the classification and is in second place in the group with eight points. 

In the last round, Mais Querido can still reach the first position in Group C if they beat Deportivo Táchira and Central Córdoba loses to LDU. 

The game
Needing a win, Flamengo started the match attacking LDU, exchanging passes in the attacking half. The Ecuadorians, in turn, found it extremely difficult to break past the midfield line.

In the eighth minute, Mengão threatened for the first time and opened the scoring! Michael made a good run down the left and crossed into the box, but LDU's defense cleared the ball for a corner. Luiz Araújo sent the ball perfectly to Léo Ortiz, who headed it past the goalkeeper, giving him no chance: 1-0. 

After the goal, the Red-Blacks continued to attack, trying to score a second. In the 16th minute, Wesley took a shot from the edge of the box, but the ball went just wide of the goalkeeper's right post. Minutes later, Luiz Araújo took a shot from distance, but the goalkeeper saved it in two attempts. 

With ample possession, Flamengo consistently attacked and suffocated LDU in their own half. Towards the end of the first half, Flamengo eased off a bit, but remained dominant. In the 44th minute, Wesley crossed into the box; the ball deflected off the defense, and Arrascaeta attempted a header, but it went wide. Flamengo went into halftime with a partial victory. 

The second half began with no changes in either team. With the same scenario as the first half, Mengão continued to pressure LDU and scored the second goal in the eighth minute! Alex Sandro made a good run down the left, found the ball, and sent it into the middle of the box. The defense tried to clear it, but the ball fell to Luiz Araújo, who slotted it into the back of the net: 2-0.

With a more comfortable lead, coach Filipe Luís made two changes to his lineup. Michael and Bruno Henrique were replaced by Cebolinha and Pedro, respectively. As the game progressed, Flamengo continued to value possession and remain calm in attack. 

In the final minutes, Mais Querido maintained possession of the ball in the attacking half and waited for the final whistle to leave the field with a fundamental victory that kept the team alive in the fight for qualification for the round of 16 of the Libertadores.

Flamengo
Rossi; Wesley, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; De La Cruz (Evertton Araújo), Gerson and Arrascaeta (Wallace Yan); Luiz Araújo (Matheus Gonçalves), Michael (Everton Cebolinha) and Bruno Henrique (Pedro).

Coach: Filipe Luís.

LDU
Gonzalo Valle; De la Cruz (Quintero), Ricardo Adé, Allala and Quiñónez; Minda (Villamíl), Gruezo and Cornejo; Alzugaray (Melvin Díaz), Alvarado (Pastrán) and Alex Arce (Estrada).
Coach: Pablo Sanchez.

Week's agenda
Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Sunday (18) to face Botafogo, at 18:30 pm, at Maracanã, for the 9th round of the Brasileirão.

Technical sheet
Flamengo 2x0 LDU – Conmebol Libertadores | 5th Round | Group C
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 15/05/2025 at 21:30 am
Referees: Andrés Rojas (COL), Miguel Roldán (COL) and Mary Blanco (COL)
Yellow cards: Minda (LDU), Cornejo (LDU), Ricardo Adé (LDU), Gruezo (LDU) and Alex Sandro (FLA)
Goals: Léo Ortiz (9'1st half) and Luiz Araújo (8'2nd half).

FFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM TALK AT MARACA!!!!!!!!!!

FLAMENGO 2 TO 0 OVER LDU!

3 MORE POINTS IN THE LIBERTA!!#gameover pic.twitter.com/ZayYZ5nP3I

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) May 16, 2025