Pincha lost 1 to 0 in Brazil and was forced to win on the last date against Independiente Medellín to advance to the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores.
Students They lost 1 to 0 against Flamengo at the Jornalista Mário Filho stadium and complicated their chances of qualifying in Group A of the 2026 Copa Libertadores.
The team led by Alexander Medina showed order and solidity for much of the match, but ended up paying dearly for a defensive error in the second half and returned from Brazil empty-handed.
An even first half with a lot of friction
Estudiantes came out to play Flamengo on an equal footing and from the start they made clear their intention to maintain intensity and pressure in the midfield. The game started with a lot of friction and Ezequiel Pioví quickly saw the yellow card.
Pincha gave up possession, although they managed to control a Flamengo that handled the ball without much depth. The clearest approaches from the La Plata team came through set-piece actions, with a header from Leandro González Pírez and an Olympic attempt from Tiago Palacios.
The most controversial play of the first half occurred after a penalty awarded by referee Esteban Ostojich for an infringement by Eric Meza on Bruno Henrique. However, the VAR corrected the decision and annulled the sanction.
A mistake that ended up costing me dearly
In the second half, Estudiantes seemed more withdrawn and lost some of the intensity they had shown in the first half. Even so, he managed to neutralize Flamengo for several minutes.
The only goal of the night came after a weak response from Fernando Muslera to a shot that he could not contain. The rebound was in the hands of Pedro, who turned inside the area and scored with the goal practically free to score 1-0.
Starting from the disadvantage, the “Cacique” moved the bank and tried to react with the income of Farías and Cetré, in addition to some interventions from Palacios, although he never managed to break the defense of the Rio team.
Good feelings despite the defeat
Beyond the result, Estudiantes were satisfied with several collective aspects of the performance, especially the tactical order and the personality shown in a complex setting like the Maracaná.
The performances of Tomás Palacios as left back and Santiago Núñez also stood out, who once again responded in his third consecutive game as a starter.
Students will define everything before DIM in ONE
With this defeat, the team from La Plata was compromised in the table and will have to play for qualification to the round of 16 on the last date.
The next match will be against Deportivo Independiente Medellín, on Tuesday, May 26 at 9:30 p.m. at the Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium.
