Flamengo cruise into Copa Libertadores quarter-finals

Flamengo booked a spot in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals after a 4-1 win over Defensa y Justicia on Wednesday evening at the Arena Mané Garrincha.

Scorers: Caio 9′, De Arrascaeta 66′, Vitinho 83′, 90+4′; Loaiza 41′

Coming into the match, Flamengo held a 1-0 aggregate lead over Defensa y Justicia and looked to get the ball rolling quickly in their attempt to book a quarter-final spot.

The hosts maintained the majority of possession (65 per cent) and outshot their opponents 19 to 12.

The opener came nine minutes into the match thanks to a header from centre-back Rodrigo Caio.

However, Defensa y Justicia were not going to give up that easily and Raúl Loaiza pulled one back just before the break.

In the second half, Flamengo continued to maintain control of the game and let the goals fly on their way to booking a spot in the next round.

Michael saw an attempt hit off the crossbar before the ball fell to Giorgian De Arrascaeta who put the rebound in to make it 2-1.

Vitinho then came off the bench and scored a brace (one of which was a stunner outside the box) to see Flamengo edge their opponents 5-1 on aggregate.