Domínguez: Estudiantes kept Flamengo quiet, urges to regroup | OneFootball

Estudiantes came close to achieving a heroic feat against Flamengo after defeating them 1-0 in the 90 minutes, but the penalty shootout saw a superb performance from Agustín Rossi, ultimately securing the Brazilian team's qualification to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals. After the match, the coach of El Pincha, Eduardo Domínguez, praised his players' efforts, highlighting that they managed to level the series despite the differences in hierarchy and, after asserting that they now must aim for the title in the Clausura, he was clear: "Let the anger and pain pass, and let's keep pushing".

"Facing the rival's power in hierarchy, the series ended in a draw. What we achieved seems very valuable, with many opportunities to increase the score. We were close, but now we are left with that pain. What do we do with the pain? We hope it will be the engine to keep growing, because if we want to compete again next year, we have to go in search of the title. There is no other option, because we are far behind in points. Let the pain and anger pass, and let's keep pushing", Domínguez reflected in the press conference after the match.

The truth is that the team from La Plata is 11 points away from the Copa Libertadores qualifying positions in the annual table. This, coupled with the elimination they suffered in the Copa Argentina, leaves them with only the Clausura Tournament route to get back into the continental tournament in 2026.

"We only have that tournament left and we have to go after it. If we face it with the mentality and enthusiasm of representing our institution in this way, we will be close. This is the path the players have shown", he added.

Nevertheless, Domínguez celebrated the attitude of his players and the way they faced a series that presented itself as adverse after the first leg, but which at the same time was, in his view, uneven in terms of hierarchies: "With the great differences in speed, experience and hierarchy of the opponent, we had them tied down for a long time. They hardly had any scoring opportunities and we had several".

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