Argentinos heroic with ten men, frustrate Barcelona late on | OneFootball

Argentinos Juniors pulled off a shock in Guayaquil by defeating Barcelona SC 1-0 this Wednesday, February 18, 2026, gaining a crucial advantage for the second leg of the Phase 2 tie in the Copa Libertadores.

In a hard-fought match at the Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha, the “Bicho” from La Paternal managed to prevail despite playing much of the second half with ten men after Francisco Álvarez was sent off. When a draw seemed inevitable, Diego Porcel appeared in stoppage time (45+1′) to score a stunning goal that sealed the result and sparked Argentine celebrations.

The team led by Nico Diez showed defensive resilience and efficiency, while the Ecuadorian side, featuring the official debut of Darío Benedetto, was unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage in the final minutes.

Match Details

Goals

Argentinos Jrs: Diego Porcel (45+1′ ST).

Starting Lineups

Barcelona SC: Javier Burrai; Byron Castillo, Luca Sosa, Franklin Guerra, Aníbal Chalá; Jesús Trindade, Leonai Souza; Adonis Preciado, Damián Díaz, Joao Rojas; Darío Benedetto.

Argentinos Juniors: Diego Rodríguez; Thiago Santamaría, Francisco Álvarez, Jonathan Galván, Román Vega; Alan Lescano, Ariel Gamarra, Nicolás Oroz; Maximiliano Romero, Luciano Gondou, Gastón Verón.

Incidents and substitutions

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.