Coluna do Fla
·20 September 2025
Libertadores: Flamengo’s ref gave Estudiantes a dubious penalty

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Yahoo sportsColuna do Fla
·20 September 2025

On the evening of this Friday (19), Conmebol announced the refereeing team that will officiate the match between Flamengo and Estudiantes (ARG), for the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. The Chilean Piero Maza will referee the match in La Plata. The referee was in charge of a decisive clash for the Argentine team against Cerro Porteño (PAR) in the Round of 16, which angered the Paraguayans.
At 47 minutes of the second half, Piero Maza awarded a penalty to Estudiantes on Guido Castillo, in the first leg of the Round of 16. Santiago Ascacíbar took the penalty and secured a 1-0 away victory. Later, in Argentina, the teams drew 0-0.
— I didn’t like the refereeing, but I understand that he is human and can make mistakes, just as I can in a decision. Several of his decisions didn’t seem right to me. He has a team that assists him, and I didn’t agree with these decisions — said Cerro Porteño’s coach, Diego Martínez.
After the match, played in August this year, the Paraguayan press reacted to the incident. The portal ‘Altos Noticias’ published that it was the “biggest robbery in the history of the Libertadores” and added: “invented penalty, not even the Estudiantes players complained.”
Piero Maza has officiated three matches for Flamengo, with the Mengão winning two games and losing one. The first was in the Libertadores 2019, when the Rubro-Negro beat San José (BOL) 6-1 at Maracanã. Also at the Sacred Temple, but in 2022, the referee officiated the 2-1 win over Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) in the competition’s semifinal. Finally, in 2023, Del Valle (EQU) beat Fla 1-0 in Quito, in the Recopa.
With the refereeing team set, Flamengo and Estudiantes will face each other next Thursday (25), in La Plata, for the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. The match kicks off at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), with full coverage by Coluna do Fla, of course.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.









































