in the final of the Guanabara Cup. The title was secured after a victory against Vasco, 2–0. In the Rio Cup, Botafogo faced Fluminense in the semi-finals and beat the latter 3–2. In the final against Flamengo, with panenka penalty goals by Herrera and Abreu, and Jefferson saving a penalty shot by Adriano, the black-and-whites won 2–1 and secured the state title in advance. In the Brazil Cup, the team did not go far: They were eliminated by Santa Cruz in the second round. In the Brazilian Championship, Botafogo was in the relegation zone, but improved its performance and climbed up the table, even fighting for a spot in the Libertadores Cup. The classification, however, did not come after a defeat to Grêmio in the last round. Even so, the club had some achievements: Jefferson was called to play for the Brazilian National team, being the first player from the club to reach the national team in 12 years, after Gonçalves and Bebeto. Before that, Loco Abreu played in the 2010 World Cup for Uruguay, becoming the first black-and-whites player in World Cups after 12 years. In 2011, Botafogo had a bad start to the season, which led to Joel's dismissal and the hiring of Caio Júnior. Still, the change was not enough to save the first semester, which ended with the team being eliminated early in both the Carioca Championship and the Brazil Cup. However, in the Brazilian Championship, Botafogo had an outstanding campaign and again fought for a spot in the Libertadores Cup. Prioritizing the national title, they used backup players in the Sudamericana Cup and were eliminated in the round of 16 by Santa Fe of Colombia. In the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship, the team suffered seven losses in nine games and finished the competition in 9th place. Coach Caio Júnior was fired after the setback against América Mineiro, and was replaced by Flávio Tênius in the last three matches. Because of the disappointing campaign, the club's management dismissed several players. In 2012, Botafogo hired Oswaldo de Oliveira as the coach. The only major team in Rio outside the Libertadores, the team dedicated itself to the Carioca Championship and was the only team to finish both the Guanabara and Rio cups undefeated. In the finals against Fluminense, however, the Glorioso was defeated 4–1, ending their title chances. In the same week, Botafogo not only lost