Final fever hits Rio

The atmosphere in the build-up to a Copa Libertadores final is always intense. But when you throw in two finalists that have never previously won the prestigious trophy, as is the case with Fluminense and LDU, and set the decisive second leg in Rio de Janeiro's legendary Maracana stadium, the results are nothing short of spectacular. Brazil's most famous city, boasting around six million inhabitants, is no stranger to big footballing occasions. Calling Rio home are no fewer than four giants of the Brazilian game in the shape of Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama, and the supporters of Flu's main local rivals are making sure they are not left out of the party. Though it is true that most of the flags and banners adorning the coastal metropolis are in Fluminense colours, fans of the city's remaining sides have pledged their support for Ecuadorian visitors LDU, lending the final's return leg a somewhat peculiar ambience. Perhaps the most obvious explanation comes from a survey carried out by the Datafolha Institute in January, which discovered that 43 per cent of Carioca football fans follow Flamengo, compared to a mere 11 percent for Fluminense. Witnessing this phenomenon first hand is Gabriel Silva, one of a number of street vendors to have spent the last few days selling flags to passing car drivers. "I've brought loads of Fluminense ones with me, some Flamengo ones and also a few LDU flags, which are a really popular with Flamengo fans," he told FIFA.com. And the LDU squad also received a clear indication of this unexpected wave of support when taking the field for Monday's training session at Flamengo's Gavea stadium. Dozens of Flamenguistas were there to meet the Ecuadorian players, waving banners that read 'LDU: Liga Deportiva Urubu', urubu being the Portuguese word for 'vulture', the symbol of Flamengo. Once the session was over, the Fla supporters gave a particularly warm send-off to LDU's Joffre Guerron, who they claimed bore a striking resemblance to Rubro-Negro favourite Obina. The bemused Ecuadorian was even presented with a Flamengo shirt, which he gamely wore while giving a number of interviews and having his photo taken - an episode that has not gone down too well in the Fluminense ranks. source