Flamengo's semi-final rivals Estudiantes lose, out of Copa Argentina | OneFootball

Estudiantes (ARG) suffered a second elimination in less than a week and now turns its focus to the Libertadores

Estudiantes (ARG), Flamengo’s opponent in the Libertadores semifinal, was knocked out of the Copa Argentina this Thursday (01). The La Plata side lost 1-0 to Platense (ARG) in the quarterfinals at Estadio Norberto Tomaghello in Florencio Varela.

Gonzalo Lencina scored the only goal in the 38th minute of the second half. In addition, the forward had just come onto the field. Coach Martín Palermo brought him on in place of striker Bruno Sepúlveda one minute before the decisive play.

The move started down the left side of Platense’s attack. Tomás Ariel Silva made a run in behind and crossed to the near post. Then, the No. 99 flicked a header and secured the win.

Estudiantes racks up two defeats in decisive matches

The Copa Argentina exit deepens Pincha’s poor run in knockout clashes. Last Saturday (26), Medina’s team had already lost the Supercopa Internacional final to Rosario Central (ARG).

In that match, Estudiantes opened the scoring through Alexis Castro before the first minute. However, Rosario Central came back with two goals from Ángel Di María and won 3-1, according to the official record of the Argentine Professional League. The game ended in chaos between players and complaints from president Juan Sebastián Verón about the refereeing.

Against Platense, Estudiantes also failed to impose itself. The Argentine side created chances through Guido Carrillo and Bautista Kociubinski, but was stopped by the opposition defense. Platense, on the other hand, took advantage of a lapse in defensive recovery and secured a historic place in the tournament semifinals.

As a result, Calamar will face Atlético Tucumán (ARG), which eliminated Independiente Rivadavia (ARG) on penalties. Meanwhile, Estudiantes will have a lighter schedule before the continental showdown.

When is Estudiantes vs Flamengo in the Libertadores semifinal?

The first leg of the semifinal will take place on October 15, a Thursday, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in Argentina. The return leg is scheduled for the 22nd, at the same time, at the Maracanã.

According to El Gráfico, Estudiantes’ board plans to host the first leg at Estadio UNO in La Plata. In addition, the club must allocate at least 4,000 tickets to Flamengo supporters.

The winner of the tie will play the final on November 28 at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay. In the other semifinal, Palmeiras and Fluminense are battling for the second spot.

Flamengo and Estudiantes face each other for the 3rd time this year

The reunion will have a familiar feel for both clubs. After all, Flamengo and Estudiantes were drawn together in Group A of this edition of the Libertadores.

In La Plata, the teams drew 1-1 on April 29. Luiz Araújo opened the scoring for Rubro-Negro, and Carrillo equalized early in the second half. Then, at the Maracanã, Flamengo won 1-0, with Pedro scoring in the 20th minute of the second half.

The two teams also met in the 2025 Libertadores quarterfinals. On that occasion, Flamengo won 2-1 in Rio and lost 1-0 in Argentina. Even so, it advanced on penalties, 4-2, with two saves by Agustín Rossi.

This time, Estudiantes reaches the semifinal after eliminating Corinthians in the quarterfinals, with a 1-0 win in São Paulo. The Argentine side had not played in this stage since 2009, the last year it won the continental tournament. Flamengo, for its part, got past Independiente del Valle (ECU), with a 2-0 win in Ecuador and a 1-1 draw in Rio de Janeiro.

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