Estudiantes draw with Flamengo, stay unbeaten in Group A | OneFootball

El Pincha drew 1-1 against the Brazilian side on Matchday 3 of Group A.

Across from them stood the Libertadores champion. The bogeyman of South America. At UNO, Alexander Medina was facing his first major test since arriving at El Pincha at the start of 2026. While the Uruguayan has shown his credentials since Eduardo Domínguez’s departure, the clash with Mengao meant a chance to show what his team was made of.

El León came into the third Libertadores matchday in a solid position. The point earned in Medellín meant Medina’s men could be satisfied with a draw against Flamengo, which today is by far the best team in CONMEBOL.

And if a home draw looked appealing beforehand, it looked even better after Estudiantes went behind on their own ground. The home side struggled to adapt to Medina’s setup, as he decided to break away from the usual 4-2-3-1 he had used since arriving and line up in a 4-3-3 that took away some of their attacking edge. The wingers were Palacios and Farías, two players who tend to drift inside.

Of course, while El Pincha did not suffer too much, Mengao’s stars only need a split second to make the difference. And that is exactly what happened: in the 32nd minute of the first half, Luiz Araújo finished unmarked after a brilliant play by Bruno Henrique, who beat Tomas Palacios with a well-directed first touch. Even in that context, Estudiantes did not lose shape and stuck to its plan, which mainly relied on stretching the play through Eric Meza’s forward runs. He delivered a couple of good crosses that just failed to find a target in the Rio side’s box.

In the second half, El León was more productive. But not before needing a sensational intervention from Fernando Muslera, who made two one-on-one saves in the same play. Twenty seconds later, the home side found the equalizer through sheer determination. Meza, once again, burst down to the byline and sent in a cross that found Farías, who headed it in all alone so that, after a save by Rossi, Carrillo bundled everything over the line to make it 1-1 in La Plata.

Even so, Estudiantes could have come away with even more at UNO. Flamengo eased off in the final minutes and El Pincha might have taken the win if not for Agustín Rossi. The former Boca keeper stopped a shot from Cetré and then another from Amondarain, who had gone one-on-one in the 48th minute of the second half. In the end, Medina’s side—whose coach was sent off for stepping onto the pitch to stop Jardim, his Brazilian counterpart, in the middle of a heated scuffle—came away with a point that suits them just fine. Even though they now have to travel to the altitude of Cusco and then visit the Maracanã, El Pincha sits second behind Fla with five points.

As things stand today, El León appears to be neck and neck with Cusco and DIM, who will face each other this Thursday starting at 11 p.m.

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