Flamengo holds Estudiantes to goalless draw in Argentina in Libertadores semi-final first leg

In La Plata, there was no shortage of intensity. In a fiercely contested clash, Flamengo struggled to impose their rhythm and came away from Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi with a goalless draw against Estudiantes on Thursday (15th) in the first leg of the CONMEBOL Libertadores semi-final. With the result, Mengão remains unbeaten in the competition, with seven wins and four draws.

The second leg will take place next Thursday (22nd) at 21:00 (local time) at the Maracanã. Should the sides draw again, the tie will be decided by penalty kicks.

Adriano Fontes / CRF

The match

Estudiantes made full use of home advantage from the first whistle, pressing Flamengo's build-up play and dominating the attacking phase. In the 2nd minute, Rodríguez fired from distance, and Rossi parried comfortably. Rubro-Negro responded with neat passing and forays down the flanks.

Flamengo looked to break through with the movement of Samuel Lino and Bruno Henrique. In the 7th minute, Saúl crossed into the area, and the number 27 tried to get his head on the ball but failed to connect. Two minutes later, Carrascal swung a free-kick into the box, the Argentine defence clearing the danger.

As the half progressed, the hosts grew into the contest and increased their attacking presence. In the 15th minute, Rodríguez burst into the area down the right and curled a low cross that deflected off Alex Sandro and went behind. At the 27-minute mark, Palacios attempted a low cross that the Rubro-Negro defence blocked cleanly.

Estudiantes' best opening of the first half came in the 32nd minute. After a cross into the box, the ball was partially cleared, and Palacios was left with a loose ball to shoot. Léo Pereira appeared just in time to deny what looked a certain goal.

Mengão tried to hit back in the 40th minute when Emerson Royal drove down the right and sent a low cross across, but the Argentine keeper collected. Then, in stoppage time, Paquetá floated a delivery from the byline, Mancuso flicked it on with his head, and Saúl's effort sailed over the bar.

After the restart, Estudiantes maintained their aggressive approach and continued to search for a breakthrough via crosses into the box. In the 5th minute, Mancuso raced down the right and fired wide of the target. By the 12-minute mark, Núñez rose to meet a corner but headed well over.

Rubro-Negro looked to respond through individual skill and swift transitions. At the 22-minute mark, Carrascal and Bruno Henrique combined inside the box, but the Argentine defence stepped in to break up the move.

In the closing stages, both sides upped the ante in their quest for a winning goal. At the 30-minute mark, Carrascal found Bruno Henrique down the right, but Núñez produced a perfectly-timed sliding tackle to snuff out the danger. A minute later, Emerson Royal unleashed a long-range effort from a corner routine.

In the 33rd minute, following two successive corners, Núñez got a shot away only for Alex Sandro to block. Then, at the 37-minute mark, Cetré collected a long ball and fired from the left, but Rossi was equal to it.

With four minutes remaining, Carrascal released Alex Sandro down the byline, but his cross was blocked by Piovi. After four minutes of added time, the referee brought proceedings to a close with the scoreline locked at 0-0.

Adriano Fontes / CRF

Estudiantes de La Plata

Muslera; Mancuso, Núñez, Funes Mori and Benedetti; Castro and Piovi; Tobio Burgos (Cetré), Tiago Palacios (Joaquín Correa) and Baltasar Rodríguez (Monsalve); Carrillo.

Manager: Alexander Medina.

Flamengo

Rossi; Emerson Royal, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Erick and Saúl; Lucas Paquetá (Joaquín Freitas), Carrascal and Samuel Lino (Plata); Bruno Henrique (Pedro).

Manager: Leonardo Jardim.

Week Ahead

Mengão return to action on Sunday (18th) at 18:30 to face Bahia at Arena Fonte Nova in the 31st round of the 2026 Campeonato Brasileiro.

Match Statistics

Estudiantes de La Plata 0 x 0 Flamengo – First Leg, CONMEBOL Libertadores Semi-final

Venue: Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi – La Plata, Argentina

Date and time: 15/10/2026, 21:30

Referees: Juan Gabriel Benítez (PAR), Eduardo Cardozo (PAR), Milcíades Saldívar (PAR), Blas Romero (PAR) and Ulisses Mereles (PAR).

Yellow cards: Castro (EST), Piovi (EST), Lucas Paquetá (FLA) and Varela (FLA).