October 30 – Brazilian giants Flamengo booked their spot in the Copa Libertadores final after eliminating Argentina’s Racing Club 1-0 on aggregrate in the last four.
The Rio side held Racing to a goalless draw after Gonzalo Plata was dismissed in the 56th minute. In the first leg, at the Maracana, Jorge Carrascal got a late winner for Flamengo.
It is the fourth time that Flamengo will play the final of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, since 2019 when they defeated River Plate 2-1 with two late goals from Gagibol in Lima, the venue for this year’s final.
“Flamengo has reached five finals in its history, including today’s,” said Flamengo manager Filipe Luis at a news conference. “And there are players on this squad who are going to their fourth. And me too. Football is very fast-paced, but my goal is to be in that fourth final. Three as a player and one as a coach. I’m very proud. When I arrived here in 2019, Flamengo had only one final in its history.”
In 2021, Flamengo lost 2-1 to Palmeiras in Montevideo, but a year later, they returned to winning ways, defeating Atletico Paranaense 1-0 in Ecuador. The club won their very first Copa Libertadores in 1981.
An all-Brazilian final may no longer be on the cards this season after LDU Quito thrashed Palmeiras 3-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. On Thursday, the Sao Paulo club host the Ecuadorians in the return leg.
“For me, it’s undoubtedly economic power,” said Luis of the Brazilian dominance in the competition. “Better players mean more chances to compete for titles. Today, Brazil has clubs with European-level economic capacity. We have players here who had offers with more money from European clubs, and Flamengo managed to match them. In the end, more players mean more chances to win. It doesn’t guarantee anything, though. On the field, everyone is very good, 11 against 11.”
The competition’s final will be played on 29 November.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, [email protected]