‘Libertadores: Flamengo returns to Ecuador, after title, with mission against newcomer’. With that newspaper title Throwing, from Rio de Janeiro, refers to the return to Ecuador of the popular club from Rio de Janeiro to meet Aucas in Group A, at the Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda stadium. On October 29, 2022, Flamengo were crowned Copa Libertadores champions by defeating Athletico Paranaense 1–0 in the individual final at the Monumental Banco Pichincha Stadium.

“He won the title in Guayaquil six months ago and now he is trying to start the journey (to the double championship) on the right foot,” he added. Throwing. The note emphasizes that Flamengo “arrives at a completely different moment than that decision for the title, even on the bench. Unlike Dorival Júnior’s successful team, Vító Pereira’s Flamengo still shows some shortcomings and, despite recent victories, does not exude confidence”.

And despite the fact that the current monarch of the Libertadores has had a bad start to the season (an embarrassing elimination in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, which corresponds to the 2022 edition, and a lost Recopa Sudamericana with Independiente del Valle), the press note states that although Sports News is not the best “the mission remains the same : to win”.

It also said that “besides getting off on the right foot, Flamengo will have other goals on Wednesday night in Quito. One of them is to inflict the first defeat on Aucas in the Libertadores, as the Ecuadorian team makes its (absolute) debut in the competition”.

Undefeated against the hosts

But Aucas, apart from his debut, has the possibility to break Flamengo’s record, which he has held in the Libertadores since 2020. The club from Quito has already surprised internally in 2022 by qualifying for the finals of the Pro League and beating Barcelona SC in the return leg, a rival with more experience than Oriental in those struggles. Now the auquistas are about to start writing their history on an international level.

According to Throwing, “Flamengo has not lost a visit to the Libertadores since the visit to Independiente del Valle, in 2020, precisely on the soil of Ecuador. Fourteen games were played under these conditions: they won eleven and drew three. The record does not take into account the final of the competition, played on a neutral ground (Flamengo lost the only final of the competition in 2021, played at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo).

Beating in Quito

On September 17, 2020, in Group A, Independiente del Valle beat Flamengo 5-0 at Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium. After that date, the red and black did not lose again on the road in the Copa Libertadores (they had only one defeat, but on neutral ground). Aucas hopes to break that Flamengo record.

These are the results of unbeaten Flamengo since 2020, with more wins than draws away from rivals in the Libertadores.

2020

1. Barcelona SC 1, Flamengo 2

2. Racing 1, Flamengo 1

in 2021

3. Velez Sarsfield 2, Flamengo 3

4. Quito Liga 2, Flamengo 3

5. Union La Calera 2, Flamengo 2

6. Defense and Justice 0, Flamengo 1

7. Olympia 1, Flamengo 4

8. Barcelona SC 0, Flamengo 2

in 2022

9. Sporting Cristal 0, Flamengo 2

10. Catholic University 2, Flamengo 3

11. Cordoba Workshops 2, Flamengo 2

12. Sports Tolima 0, Flamengo 1

13. Corinthians 0, Flamengo 2

14. Velez Sarsfield 0, Flamengo 3 (D)