Arrascaeta hits 100 Libertadores games, scores as Flamengo beat Cruzeiro and earns Jardim praise | OneFootball

Arrascaeta marked his 100th Libertadores appearance by scoring the opener in Flamengo’s 2-1 win over Cruzeiro at the Maracanã, a result that sent the Rio club into the quarter-finals.

According to Globo.com, the milestone came against his former side, eight years after he scored for Cruzeiro in a 2-0 last 16 win at the same ground that helped eliminate Flamengo.

Across Defensor Sporting, Cruzeiro and Flamengo he has 19 goals in the competition. A three-time champion with Flamengo in 2019, 2022 and 2025, he is due a bust at Gávea alongside Bruno Henrique.

The playmaker spent almost three months out between April and July after a broken clavicle then a calf injury with Uruguay. Since returning, Flamengo have tightly managed his workload, and Leonardo Jardim called his display fantastic.

That minutes management has shaped recruitment. Jardim wants another option with a different profile for the role, judging Carrascal and Lucas Paquetá not an exact fit and at times using Samuel Lino out of position. Talks with Thiago Almada took place in this window, but no deal was done.

Flamengo will face Tolima or Independiente del Valle in the quarter-finals. They go through as strong contenders for a fifth crown, though Arrascaeta stressed they are not thinking about being champions, that it must be step by step, and that progression was vital after the Copa do Brasil exit.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”