Party in Rio: Flamengo dominates and wins Copa Libertadores for the third time | Foreign football

For a moment it looked like it was going to be an exciting duel. The two Brazilian football clubs know each other well from their own league and cup, and started the final in sultry Guayaquilin modestly. The players of Athletico Paranaense, who had eliminated defending champion Palmeiras in the semi-finals, dared to hunt for a goal the most. After a few minutes they were close as Flamengo defender David Luiz choked on the ball, but it didn’t result in a goal.

Another setback for Flamengo came in the 20th minute. The 37-year-old experienced defender Filipe Luís had to leave the field injured and visibly disappointed. The final, which normally guarantees spectacle, only really came loose in the final phase of the first half. Pedro Henrique took his second whole card and was allowed to take a shower very early. Paranaense, led by famed coach Scolari, had no time to come up with a new plan as Gabriel Barbosa – better known as Gabi – took the lead on Everton’s Ribeiro Flamengo well into stoppage time.

In the second half it was up to Flamengo to control the game and play it out in a businesslike way. The team from Rio de Janeiro succeeded very well by keeping a lot of ball possession in the half of Paranaense. Whenever Scolari’s side tried to switch, there was always a Flamengo player willing to make a foul or otherwise disrupt the attack. With that instruction, Arturo Vidal also appeared to enter the field in the 70th minute, as the former Inter, Bayern and Barcelona player had already received a yellow card after 4 minutes. All in all, it meant that, disarmed and powerless, Paranaense increasingly lost hope for the first ‘Copa’ in club history. The final rippled so surprisingly calmly to the final whistle, while the big party was being prepared in Rio de Janeiro.

Flamengo takes the Copa for the third time in club history (1981, 2019, 2022), while the Paranaense from Curitiba loses the final just like in 2005. It is also the fifth year in a row that a Brazilian club lifts the cup.