Fútbol: Flamengo reaches Copa Libertadores final with Rossi as an insurmountable wall against Racing

(AFP) Brazil's Flamengo qualified for the final of the Copa Libertadores 2025 after a 0-0 draw away to Racing Argentina in the rematch of the semifinals, played on Wednesday at the Cilindro de Avellaneda (south of Buenos Aires).

The Rio de Janeiro club, down to 10 men for much of the second half after Gonzalo Plata was sent off in the 56th minute, advanced to the final with a 1-0 aggregate win, having edged the first leg last week at the Maracanã.

In the final to be played in Lima on November 29, Flamengo will face the winner of the match between Liga de Quito and Palmeiras, who will play their rematch on Thursday after the Ecuadorians won 3-0 in the first leg.

The Mengao will be looking for their fourth Copa Libertadores, after their titles in 1981, 2019 and 2022.

On the verge of being crowned Libertadores champion as a player and now as a coach, Filipe Luís said that "we are very happy to reach another final, the fourth since 2019. Today was a victory for a team with soul, competitive, determined, that knows how to play in any circumstance, against any opponent."

The match started 25 minutes late due to the delay of the bus carrying the Flamengo delegation to Avellaneda and the shocking show of fireworks and flares with which Racing fans welcomed their team.

An even match

Flamengo started off better, with Luiz Araújo's low left-footed shot going just wide of the left-hand post, but Racing responded seconds later with a powerful header by Conechny, which required a formidable reflex save by Rossi.

Very consistent in its structure, accustomed to this kind of matches, Flamengo began to dominate the development, from the cadence in the management, the clarity to make decisions and look for the best option, despite lacking some weight in attack.

The black-and-white team came close with another left-footed shot by Araújo. And after half an hour, Cambeses blocked with his face a one-on-one with De Arrascaeta.

With less possession, the Academy was waiting for Maravilla Martínez, caged between the central defenders throughout the night, although he would have another chance with a good shot from Solari, who shot just high.

Rossi silenced the Cilindro

But the match was to have an unexpected change after 56 minutes, when Gonzalo Plata, Fla striker, was shown the red card for an aggression against Marcos Rojo, in what appeared to be an exaggerated decision by referee Piero Maza.

Facing a 10-man opponent, Racing tightened its control and, lacking precision in the final third, began bombarding the visitors’ box with crosses and long-range efforts—one of them a low, angled strike from Almendra that forced a save from Rossi.

Fla's Argentine goalkeeper ended up becoming the hero of the night, making his figure bigger and bigger under the three posts with every save to keep alive a black-and-black team that in the second half almost did not pass the halfway line.

For a moment it seemed that Racing was also going to be down to ten when Maza showed Rojo the red card, but then reversed his decision at the behest of the VAR, which showed that there was no foul by the Racing defender on Léo Ortiz.

Rossi was again on hand to save a point-blank header from Maravilla Martínez, then Balboa came close with a header, and in stoppage time, the goalkeeper made an outstanding save from Vietto's shot inside the six-yard box.

"It was one of those beautiful games to play, that remain in the memory. We tried and didn't get the result we wanted. Flamengo is a great team. There (in Rio) they dominated and had the chances, here we dominated the whole second half, but Rossi is a great goalkeeper and he pulled everything out tonight," Rojo highlighted.

Racing, who said goodbye with their heads held high to the dream of returning to the final of the Copa Libertadores after 58 years, were beaten by a Flamengo with a superior team, but they had to be tough and know how to suffer to be again among the two best, one step away from a new conquest.