Racing beat Vélez away, near Libertadores semis, Flamengo or Estudiantes next | OneFootball

Racing (ARG) secured a victory in the first leg as the away team

The focus of Flamengo is entirely on Estudiantes (ARG). However, every Flamengo fan dreams of a spot in the semifinals of the Libertadores. If Mengão advances, they will face either Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) or Racing (ARG). This Tuesday (16), at the José Amalfitani Stadium, Racing won the away game 1-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals.

Now, the two teams will face each other again next Tuesday (23), at the Presidente Juan Domingo Perón Stadium, also known as ‘El Cilindro’, in Avellaneda. The game kicks off at 19h (Brasília time), with streaming on Paramount Plus.

HOW WAS THE GAME?

Playing at home, Vélez Sarsfield started better, having more ball possession and hovering more around Racing's area. However, the scenario got complicated for the hosts towards the end of the first half. After a scuffle in the area, referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio gave Lisandro Magallan a yellow card at the 34th minute.

Next, at the 43rd minute, the same defender committed a hard foul in midfield and received a red card, leaving Vélez one man down. As a result, the team made two substitutions at half-time aiming to reorganize the squad.

With one player more, Racing started to control the game. Six minutes into the second half, Solari almost scored a fantastic goal, but hit the post. However, at the 7th minute, the goal came. Facundo Mura received the ball on the right wing, shot across the goal, low, and Maravilla Martínez scored for the visitors.

Even with one man less, Vélez managed to score at the 17th minute. However, Wilton Pereira Sampaio disallowed the goal arguing that the ball had gone out of play during the corner kick. The decision enraged the home team's coach, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who confronted the Brazilian refereeing team.

WHEN WILL VÉLEZ OR RACING FACE FLAMENGO OR ESTUDIANTES?

The semifinal matches of the Copa Libertadores da América will take place in the weeks of October 22 and 29. It's worth noting that, if Flamengo beats Estudiantes, they will play the second leg away, whether against Vélez or Racing.

After all, both Argentine teams topped their respective groups in the qualifying stage. On the other hand, Flamengo finished second. On the other side of the bracket, fighting for spots in the final are: LDU (EQU) x São Paulo and River Plate (ARG) x Palmeiras.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO'S ‘OBSTACLE’ FOR THE LIBERTADORES SEMIFINAL?

Before thinking about Vélez or Racing, Flamengo first needs to get past Estudiantes. The first match between the teams will be this Thursday (18), at Maracanã, starting at 21h30 (Brasília time). The Coluna do Fla will provide full coverage of the match.

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