Estudiantes de La Plata secured a spot in the 2026 Copa Libertadores final on Thursday (22) after defeating Clube de Regatas do Flamengo 3-2 in a penalty shootout at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Following a 0-0 draw in regulation time during the second leg of the semifinal, which mirrored the scoreless result from the opening match in Argentina, Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved three spot-kicks to seal the qualification for the visiting club.
The Brazilian club fell short of advancing despite holding a one-man advantage on the pitch for nearly the entire second half, after Argentine midfielder Baltasar Rodríguez received a red card early in the final period. Following the first leg in La Plata, Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi had already warned about the nature of the matchup: “It was a typical Libertadores game, we knew it would not be easy, against a very physical team, like Estudiantes”.
Penalty shootout breakdown and second-half red card in Rio de Janeiro
During the decisive shootout at the Maracanã, goalkeeper Fernando Muslera dictated the outcome by stopping three attempts taken by Flamengo players. For the home side coached by Leonardo Jardim, only midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta and center-back and team captain Léo Pereira managed to convert their shots into goals. Meanwhile, defensive midfielder Jorginho, midfielder Lucas Paquetá, and forward Bruno Henrique all had their efforts blocked by the opposing goalkeeper. On the side of Estudiantes de La Plata, managed by head coach Alexander Medina, midfielder José Sosa, right-back Eros Mancuso, and midfielder Tiago Palacios found the back of the net to secure the 3-2 victory. Their successful kicks overcame an earlier miss by forward Edwuin Cetré, who initially scored after slipping on the turf, had the goal disallowed by Uruguayan referee Gustavo Tejera for touching the ball twice, and subsequently fired the required retake over the crossbar.
While the ball was in play during regulation time, the visiting Argentine squad suffered an early setback in the opening half when forward Joaquín Correa had to leave the field due to an injury, prompting the introduction of Tiago Palacios. Four minutes into the second half, Baltasar Rodríguez was shown his second yellow card of the night and was sent off, forcing the visitors to play the remainder of the match with ten men. Seeking to break the deadlock, Flamengo brought midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta off the bench to replace forward Jorge Carrascal. The Uruguayan playmaker had started the contest among the substitutes after undergoing a surgical procedure to treat a wrist injury sustained while representing the Uruguay national team during the FIFA international window, the official calendar period reserved for national team fixtures.
The clearest scoring opportunity during the ninety minutes arrived in the 81st minute of the match, at the 36-minute mark of the second half. Midfielder Lucas Paquetá delivered a pass into the box that found forward Gonzalo Plata, who directed a header toward the net, only for Fernando Muslera to make a crucial save that preserved the 0-0 deadlock on the scoreboard until the final whistle.
Match dominance numbers, official lineups and refereeing crew
Over the course of the ninety minutes of regulation play, Flamengo controlled 62% of the ball possession and completed 649 passes with an 88% accuracy rate, generating 12 total shots, including 3 on target, alongside 7 corner kicks. Conversely, Estudiantes de La Plata registered 38% possession and exchanged 219 passes at a 64% completion rate, finishing the night with 6 shot attempts, 2 of which went on target and 1 struck the goalpost, in addition to earning 5 corners. The official match report confirmed the tactical formations, substitutions, and officiating crew assigned to the semifinal clash:
- Flamengo (4-3-3 formation, head coach Leonardo Jardim): Agustín Rossi; Emerson Royal, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro (Ayrton Lucas); Erick Pulgar (Bruno Henrique), Jorginho and Lucas Paquetá; Jorge Carrascal (Giorgian de Arrascaeta), Pedro (Joaquín Freitas) and Samuel Lino (Gonzalo Plata).
- Estudiantes de La Plata (4-3-3 formation, head coach Alexander Medina): Fernando Muslera; Eros Mancuso, González Pírez, Santiago Núñez and Marcos Rojo (Tomás Palacios); Piovi (Alexis Castro), José Sosa and Baltasar Rodríguez; Joaquín Correa (Tiago Palacios), Carrillo (Gaich) and Tobio Burgos (Edwuin Cetré).
- Refereeing crew: Uruguayan referee Gustavo Tejera served as the head official on the pitch, assisted by linesmen Nicolás Tarán and Carlos Barreiro, while José Javier Burgos operated as the fourth official.
End of Brazilian title streak and schedule for the Montevideo final
With the semifinal elimination on home soil in Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo concluded its campaign to capture consecutive continental trophies and a fifth overall Copa Libertadores championship, having lifted the 2025 title by beating Palmeiras 1-0 at the Monumental Stadium in Lima. Prior to meeting in the knockout stage, Flamengo and Estudiantes de La Plata had already crossed paths during the Group A stage of the 2026 tournament. Those earlier fixtures resulted in a draw in Argentina and a 1-0 victory for the Rio de Janeiro club at the Maracanã, allowing the Brazilians to finish atop the group standings with 16 points while the Argentine side advanced in second place with 9 points. By advancing to the championship match, the team from La Plata now holds the opportunity to become the first non-Brazilian club to win the premier South American tournament since River Plate in 2018, snapping a streak in which Brazilian teams claimed the trophy in the last seven consecutive editions.
In the title decider, Estudiantes de La Plata will go up against Palmeiras, which secured its berth from the opposite side of the semifinal bracket by eliminating Fluminense 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 1-0 defeat in regulation time. The official schedule provided for the semifinal matchups and the championship game of the 2026 Copa Libertadores includes the following dates and results:
- October 14, 2026: Semifinal first leg between Fluminense and Palmeiras, ending in a 2-1 victory for Palmeiras.
- October 15, 2026: Semifinal first leg between Estudiantes and Flamengo at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at the UNO Stadium in La Plata, finishing in a 0-0 draw.
- October 21, 2026: Semifinal second leg featuring a 1-0 regulation win for Fluminense, followed by Palmeiras advancing 5-3 on penalty kicks.
- October 22, 2026: Semifinal second leg between Flamengo and Estudiantes at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at the Maracanã, ending 0-0 in regulation with a 3-2 penalty shootout victory for the Argentine team.
- November 28, 2026: Final of the 2026 Copa Libertadores pitting Palmeiras against Estudiantes at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Because the semifinal contest at the Maracanã concluded only minutes before publication, post-match press conference statements from head coach Leonardo Jardim and the athletes regarding the penalty shootout had not yet been confirmed. Estudiantes de La Plata and Palmeiras will play for the 2026 Copa Libertadores trophy on November 28, 2026, at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
