Thursday 24 October 2019, 03:28

Flamengo end drought to set up continental decider against River

  • Flamengo rout Gremio in Rio

  • Club’s first continental final since 1981

  • Winner of Flamengo-River Plate to feature at Club World Cup

Flamengo will face River Plate in the 2019 Copa Libertadores final after outlasting Gremio in all-Brazilian semi-final on Wednesday.

It will be a first continental decider for the Rio de Janeiro side since their famed Zico-inspired side won the tournament in 1981.

Flamengo started with a slim advantage after earning a 1-1 draw at Gremio three weeks ago, but the tie was firmly in their grasp by early in the second half.

Bruno Henrique netted just before the break and Gabriel Barbosa had a double within 11 minutes of the restart, while further strikes from Pablo Mari and Rodrigo Caio sent a delirious Maracana into overdrive.

River Plate held strong during a tense finale on Tuesday for a 2-1 aggregate victory over Boca Juniors, despite suffering a 1-0 second-leg defeat at La Bombonera.

The winner will represent South America at December’s FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019™.