FLUMINENSE IS KNOCKED OUT OF LIBERTADORES

It was a tragic Wednesday night for one of RJ's most popular clubs . Fluminense had won the first match against Libertad in Rio by 3-1, and only needed a draw to advance in the Libertadores Cup. The match was played last night at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asuncion , capital of Paraguay. The local team played with violence and there were many aggressive fouls on the Fluminense players. Fred was hit by an elbow in the head and had to be bandaged since he was bleeding very much. The Brazilian team ended the first half at 0-0 and it seemed it could get the result it needed. However, in the second half , after only ten minutes, goalkeeper Berna fumbled the ball and let in a long range shot. Libertad continued putting on the pressure and in the last 15 minutes managed to score twice and qualify for the quarterfinals.
In general it was a very bad night for Brazilian clubs : Gremio lost 1-0 against Chilean club Universidad Católica, Internacional was defeated 2-1 at its home ground in Porto Alegre by Penarol of Uruguay, and Cruzeiro lost in Colombia against Once Caldas (2-0). The only Brazilian team that continues in the competition is Santos, where Neymar and Paulo Ganso play.

FLUMINENSE BEATS LIBERTAD OF PARAGUAY IN LIBERTADORES

Fluminense continues doing well in the Libertadores Cup. Yesterday at the Engenhao Stadium in Rio, Flu beat Libertad of Paraguay by 3 : 1, and has a very good chance of qualifying for the next round.
Rafael Moura scored the first for Fluminense after a few minutes of the first half while Gamarra equalized in the 60th minute. However, Marquinho and Conca scored two more goals to secure the victory for the 2010 Brazilian Champions. The return match is next wednesday at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion. Fluminense can lose 1-0 in Paraguay and still qualify for the next round.

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FLUMINENSE STILL HAS A CHANCE IN LIBERTADORES

Just when Fluminense fans thought their team would be knocked out of this year´s edition of the Libertadores, the "Team of Warriors" fought back last week and defeated America of Mexico by 3-2. It was a thrilling match at the Engenhao Stadium, Sanchez scored first for America in the 20th minute. "Flu" goalkeeper Berna fumbled the ball and the Uruguayan born striker ran the ball into the net. Defender Gum brought hope for the local team as he headed into the America goal near to the end of the first half.In the second half, Sanchez yet again put America in front with a lucky "cross-shot". Fluminense fought back and managed to equalize and the fans thought they would end up drawing with America. However with only 5 minutes of play remaining, Deco, the former Barcelona star appeared to score the winner. Fluminense plays tomorrow night in Montevideo against Nacional, and needs to win to continue with chances of qualifying. Until now, Argentinos Juniors is first in the group with 7 points, America is second with 6 points, Flu has 5 points and Nacional has 4 points.

BEIJA FLOR WINS 2011 RIO CARNAVAL

With 299,8 points,from a possible of 300, Beija-Flor Samba School from the town of Nilopolis was the winner of this year´s carnaval. Beija Flor has now won the championship 12 times (including two tri-championships: 1976/1977/1978 and 2003/2004/2005).

Unidos da Tijuca was second with 298,4 points, Mangueira third with 297,2 points, Unidos de Vila Isabel was fourth with 297 points. Salgueiro was fifth with 296,2. Sixth was Imperatriz Leopoldinense (295,5 points). These schools will parade again at the Sambodromo, (Sambodrome) next Saturday 12th of March at the "Parade of Winners" (Desfile das Campeãs).

The Carnaval continues this weekend with several street parades:on Saturday there will be seven parades (blocos da rua) , such as Bafafa, in Ipanema near Posto 9. There will be a big parade on Sunday at Rio Branco Avenue, where Monobloco will dance from Av.Presidente Vargas until Cinelandia., and 350,000 spectators are expected. On the first day of carnaval, 2 million people paraded on Rio Branco, the city´s biggest avenue.

Fluminense in trouble after losing to America (Mexico)

The 2010 Brazilian champions, Fluminense, may be near to being eliminated from this year´s Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League. In its third match , Fluminense lost by 1-0 to America at the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. "Flu" only has 2 points after drawing its first two matches in Rio de Janeiro.

Now the team only has 22% chance of qualifying for the next round of the Libertadores. Fluminense has been without its star striker Fred, and also its midfield general, Dario Conca is in poor form, so it seems that the Rio de Janeiro team will have a hard time to beat Argentinos Juniors or Nacional (Uruguay) in the next two matches that will be played in Buenos Aires and Montevideo respectively. Argentinos Juniors is now leading Group 3 after beating Nacional by 1-0 in Montevideo. America has six points, Fluminense 2 and Nacional only 1 point.