Estudiantes draw with Flamengo, stay unbeaten in Libertadores Group A | OneFootball

El Pincha drew 1-1 against the Brazilian side on Matchday 3 of Group A.

Across from them stood the Libertadores champions. The boogeyman of South America. At UNO, Alexander Medina was facing his first major test since arriving at El Pincha at the start of 2026. While the Uruguayan has shown credentials since Eduardo Domínguez’s departure, the clash with Mengao meant the chance to show what his team was made of.

El León came into the third Libertadores matchday in a solid position. The point earned in Medellín meant that Medina’s men could be satisfied with a point against Flamengo, who today are by far the best team in CONMEBOL.

And if a home draw looked appealing beforehand, it looked even better after Estudiantes fell behind at home. The hosts struggled to adapt to Medina’s setup, as he chose to break from the usual 4-2-3-1 he had used since arriving and switch to a 4-3-3 that took away some of their attacking edge. The wingers were Palacios and Farías, two players who tend to drift inside.

Of course, while El Pincha didn’t suffer too much, Mengao’s stars only need a split second to make the difference. And that’s exactly what happened: in the 32nd minute of the first half, Luiz Araújo finished unmarked after a brilliant play by Bruno Henrique, who beat Tomas Palacios with a perfectly directed first touch. Even in that context, Estudiantes didn’t lose their shape and stuck to their plan, which mainly involved stretching the field through Eric Meza’s runs forward. He delivered a couple of good crosses that just failed to find a target in the Rio side’s box.

In the second half, El León were more productive. But not before needing a sensational intervention from Fernando Muslera, who made two one-on-one saves in the same play. Twenty seconds later, the home side found the equalizer through sheer determination. Meza, once again, got to the byline and sent in a cross that found Farías, who headed it alone, and after a save by Rossi, Carrillo bundled everything in to make it 1-1 in La Plata.

Even so, Estudiantes could have come away with even more at UNO. Flamengo relaxed in the final minutes and El Pincha could have taken the win if not for Agustín Rossi’s performance. The former Boca keeper denied Cetré and then Amondarain, who had gone one-on-one in the 48th minute of the second half. In the end, Medina’s men—whose coach was sent off for entering the field to stop Jardim, his Brazilian counterpart, in the middle of a heated scuffle—came away with a point that suits them just fine. Even though they now have to travel to the altitude of Cusco and then visit the Maracaná, El Pincha sit second behind Fla with five points.

As things stand, El León seem to be neck and neck with Cusco and DIM, who will face off this Thursday at 11 p.m.

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