Independiente Rivadavia lost on pens to Fluminense, heroics denied | OneFootball

Independiente Rivadavia's dream in the Copa Libertadores came to an end in the cruelest way. At the Malvinas Argentinas stadium, where Mendoza fans left applauding their players with pride and singing loudly despite the elimination, Fluminense advanced to the quarterfinals on penalties after the dramatic goal by Alex Arce that sent the tie to a shootout from the spot.

Kevin Serna had given the Brazilian side the lead, which played much of the second half with ten men after the childish sending-off of Agustín Canobbio, and time was running out for La Lepra. Even so, they kept pushing until the very end and, in one of the last plays of the match, amid controversy, Peruvian referee Andrés Rojas—after checking the play on the monitor—awarded a penalty for a handball by Ignácio. Arce, the tournament's top scorer, did not miss. And the crowd erupted.

With that goal as a huge emotional boost, everyone in the stadium believed the story would break in their favor. Even more so after the shot by former Boca player Luciano Acosta sailed well over the crossbar. But then Fabio appeared, the experienced 45-year-old goalkeeper who holds the record for most Copa Libertadores appearances, to save the shots from José Florentín and the decisive one from Rodrigo Atencio.

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