Estudiantes boss on Libertadores exit: "If we hadn't..." | OneFootball

Estudiantes (ARG) even beat Flamengo, but came up short in the penalty shootout

Flamengo even ‘struggled’, but qualified for the semifinals of the Libertadores this Thursday (25th), after defeating Estudiantes (ARG) on penalties. The coach of the Argentine team, Eduardo Domínguez, stated that the first leg at Maracanã was decisive for the elimination of the club from La Plata.

— If we had gone in with conviction and hadn’t conceded the goal so quickly at Maracanã, I don’t know what would have happened. We want to hold on to what happened today. The series ended tied and Estudiantes played a great series against a team that was the favorite -, he said, before concluding:

— I believe we were up to the task, despite the huge differences that exist between the teams. Today I believe we made the difference because of the mentality with which we played. Despite the big differences in speed, experience, and hierarchy, today we controlled them for a long time -, concluded the Estudiantes coach.

How was the match between Flamengo and Estudiantes?

The first leg of the quarterfinals took place at Maracanã, with Flamengo as the home team. Thus, Mengão opened the scoring just 15 seconds in, with Pedro, and extended the lead at the ten-minute mark with Varela. Near the end of the match, Carrillo pulled one back for Estudiantes.

Therefore, the decisive match took place this Thursday (25th), in La Plata. Needing a win, Estudiantes found the net at the end of the first half, with Benedetti. With the 1-0 victory, the spot in the semifinals was decided on penalties, and Flamengo came out on top after Rossi saved two penalty kicks.

Who will Flamengo face in the Libertadores semifinal?

Flamengo took the field against Estudiantes already knowing who they would face in a possible Libertadores semifinal: Racing (ARG). The team from Avellaneda eliminated Vélez Sarsfield (ARG) 2-0 on aggregate.

Therefore, the first match against Racing will take place on October 21st, 22nd, or 23rd, at Maracanã. Finally, the decisive match will be held on the 28th, 29th, or 30th of the same month, at El Cilindro, in Avellaneda.

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