Mengão defeats Internacional at Beira Rio and secures a place in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores

Heading to the quarterfinals! Mengão demonstrated its strength and defeated Internacional 2-0 on Wednesday night (20), at Beira Rio, guaranteeing an undisputed qualification for the quarterfinals of the Conmebol Libertadores. Arrascaeta, in the first half, and Pedro, coming off the bench in the second half, scored the goals in the great victory for the red-black team. Now, Mengão will face Estudiantes (ARG) in the next phase. 

Support Flamengo from wherever you are ❤️. If you love the Most Beloved, become a Nation Fan Member starting at R$19,81/Month. Learn more at [website address]. nation.flamengo.com.br.

The game

Before the ball rolled, a shower of confetti delayed the start of the match by just over 20 minutes. When the match began, the two teams were locked in a battle for possession. Gradually, Flamengo gained more possession and exchanged passes to try to create space in the Colorado defense. 

In the 23rd minute, Arrascaeta passed to Varela on the right, and the Uruguayan took a shot on goal, but the ball went high and went out for a goal kick. Three minutes later, Mengão opened the scoring at Beira Rio! Samuel Lino received the ball on the left wing, cut inside, and fired a cross-shot. Rochet rebounded, and Plata headed it to Arrascaeta, who fired a first-time shot into the net: 1-0. 

Even with the advantage, Flamengo didn't give up on the attack and continued to push for more goals. In the 38th minute, Bruno Henrique won the challenge in midfield, and the ball fell to Samuel Lino, who sped down the left. He burst into the box and hit a cross, but the ball went out over the goal line. With complete control of the action, Flamengo went into halftime with qualification on track. 

Rubro-Negro narrowly avoided extending their lead early in the second half. Arrascaeta took a free kick into the box, Saúl headed it in, and Rochet made a great save in the right corner. Bruno Henrique managed to extend the lead in the 18th minute, but the referee and VAR ruled the striker offside. 

As the minutes passed, Inter tried to push forward more, but the red-and-black team defended well and didn't suffer any threats. The Colorado's most dangerous play of the match was a shot that hit the post by Borré in the 38th minute. 

To seal the qualification, Pedro, who had just come on, extended the lead in the 42nd minute. Luiz Araújo crossed into the box, Léo Pereira tried to deflect it, and the ball fell to the number 9, who tapped it into the net to seal the victory and secure Mengão's place in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores.

Flamengo

Rossi; Varela, Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro (Ayrton Lucas); Jorginho, Saul and Arrascaeta (Luiz Araujo); Plata (Wallace Yan), Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) and Bruno Henrique (Pedro).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

International

Rochet; Aguirre, Vitão, Juninho and Bernabéi; Thiago Maia, Alan Rodríguez (Carbonero) and Alan Patrick; Wesley (Vitinho), Bruno Tabata (Borré) and Ricardo Mathias (Enner Valencia). 
Technician: Roger Machado. 

Week's agenda

Rubro-Negro returns to the field next Monday (25) to face Vitória, at 21 pm, at Maracanã, for the 21st round of the Brasileirão.

Technical sheet

Internacional 0x2 Flamengo – Conmebol Libertadores | Round of XNUMX | Second leg
Location: Beira Rio, Porto Alegre-RS
Date and time: 20/08/2025 at 21:30 am
Referees: Esteban Ostojich (URU), Carlos Barreiro (URU) and Agustin Berisso (URU)
Yellow cards: Juninho (INT), Bernabéi (INT) and Varela (FLA)
Goals: Arrascaeta (26'1st half) and Pedro (42'2nd half).

CLASSIFIEDS! ✅#Qualified pic.twitter.com/2MP2a5iB6p

- Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 21, 2025