Argentinos Juniors out of Libertadores after penalty loss to Barcelona | OneFootball

Argentinos Juniors bid farewell to the 2026 Copa Libertadores after a dramatic penalty shootout against Barcelona of Ecuador. At the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, the "Bicho" couldn't maintain the advantage from the first leg and fell 1-0 in regulation time, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1 and taking the series to penalties, where the visiting team won 5 to 4.

The match was intense from the start. The first clear chance came at the 29th minute for the visitors, with a dribble and shot by Darío Benedetto that goalkeeper Brayan Cortés controlled without problems. The home team responded only at the 38th minute with a long-range shot from Leandro Lozano that goalkeeper José Contreras deflected to a corner. Before the break, at the 42nd minute, Diego Porcel had a header opportunity after a cross from Hernán López Muñoz, but the ball went wide.

In the second half, Argentinos sought to settle the series. At the 5th and 12th minutes, both López Muñoz and Porcel challenged Contreras, who became a key figure. However, at the 20th minute of the second half, Jhonny Quiñonez seized a rebound at the edge of the area and, with a sharp shot, scored the definitive 1-0 for the team led by César Farías. At the 38th minute, Argentinos had the chance to equalize through Iván Morales after a rebound, but the Venezuelan goalkeeper prevailed again.

In the penalty shootout, the local team's inaccuracy was decisive. For Barcelona, Jhonny Quiñonez, Javier Báez, Héctor Villalba, Miguel Parrales, and Milton Céliz scored; while Brayan Cortés saved the shots from Tomás Martínez and Alex Rangel.

On the side of Argentinos Juniors, only Alan Lescano, Hernán López Muñoz, Leandro Lozano, and Lautaro Giaccone scored. Goalkeeper Contreras saved Iván Morales's shot, while Román Riquelme and Erik Godoy missed their attempts, sealing the "Bicho's" elimination.

Match Summary

Goals: Jhonny Quiñonez (20′ ST).

Penalty Shootout (4-5):

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