Léo Ortiz on genius moment that sealed Flamengo’s Libertadores spot | OneFootball

In a Quick Decision, Léo Ortiz Left Estudiantes (ARG) Player Offside

Thirty minutes into the second half, goal for Estudiantes (ARG), 2-0 against Flamengo. At that moment, Flamengo’s elimination from the Libertadores would have been practically sealed. However, with a brilliant move by Léo Ortiz, Benedetti’s goal ended up being disallowed, giving new life to Mengão.

After a long pass, the full-back found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Rossi and chipped the ball delicately into the net. However, VAR caught the Argentine team’s player offside. In an interview, Léo Ortiz explained the quick decision that left his opponent in an illegal position.

WHAT DID LÉO ORTIZ SAY ABOUT THE OFFSIDE?

— I stopped because I saw their player coming at high speed and we were in a two-on-two with an open field. I felt he wasn’t going to stop at the offside line, he thought I was going to chase after him. I held back to leave him offside. Of course, at the time I had the feeling he was, but when the referee didn’t raise the flag, I was in doubt — said Léo Ortiz.

— I thought, “maybe it’s a tight call.” I kept looking at the bench the whole time to see if someone would give me a sign and hoping that what I was imagining would be confirmed. These are details, micro-details that you make decisions on. I’m glad it was a timely decision that left him offside — explained the defender.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE PLAY?

With the goal disallowed, Estudiantes won the match 1-0, taking the tie to penalties. In the shootout, Rossi saved two and put Flamengo into the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores da América for the seventh time in the competition’s history.

Now, Léo Ortiz will have little time to rest. That’s because Flamengo faces Corinthians on Sunday (28th) in the Brasileirão. The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, with o Mais Querido fighting to stay at the top of the table.

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