Flamengo's season wasn't that impressive to be honest, but this club did claim a spot in the Copa Sudamericana final against Independiente, which could turn out into a rather unexpected success. The Flamengo side recorded a 2-1 defeat in Argentina, but they still have the home game in hand. It is in fact Flamengo's second final of the season as Reinaldo Rueda's men also reached the Copa do Brasil final, but that match didn't result in a trophy as Cruzeiro managed to lift the prize after a penalty shoot-out win. The Serie A campaign on the other hand wasn't as successful as the runs in both cups. Flamengo's third spot in 2016 earned the club some confidence, but Flamengo failed to live up to the expectations a year later and manager Ze Ricardo had to leave the club eventually.
Rueda took over in august, but he wasn't able to push this team to a better spot. Flamengo even had to dig extremely deep to seal the spot for the Copa Libertadores, which wasn't the best news with the ambitions in mind. Paolo Guerrero's situation did put extra pressure on the club as well. The Peruvian striker failed to pass a drug test near the end of the season and his long ban affected the performances to say the least. Flamengo's season was inconsistent with decent runs in the cups, but it just wasn't enough to push for a top three classification again. The Copa Libertadores ticket will satisfy the fans though.
