🎥 At 45, Fábio sends Fluminense into the Libertadores quarter-finals Fábio Deivson Lopes Maciel. The never-ending 45-year-old goalkeeper made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for Fluminense to reach the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals this Tuesday (18). After a 1-1 draw in regular time — including a goal conceded at 96' after VAR intervention — Tricolor came out on top in the penalty shootout. Lucho Acosta blasted his effort over, but the Tricolor idol saved two spot-kicks to secure a 5-4 win. Qualification that came after going down to 10 men, frustration in stoppage time, and a turnaround in the shootout. Highlights coming soon.
There was a lack of real scoring chances... Flu’s greater possession (68%) did not translate into pressure or major chances. Without support, Soteldo failed to make a difference on the left, for example. The idea of controlling the game worked well. But there was a lack of inspiration to break down a rival that was well organized without the ball. Rivadavia, in turn, tried to take advantage of the rare spaces to counterattack. But it did not even manage to hit Fábio’s goal.
Tension at Flu 🟥 Tricolor’s game plan fell apart in the 13th minute of the second half after Canobbio, already on a yellow, picked up another and was sent off. Marcão chose to take off Ganso and Hulk to ensure pace with Lucho and Serna.
'Cristiano Sernaldo' shines Flu then dropped deeper and looked to counterattack. And it paid off in the 76th minute. Hércules’ long ball found Serna. And he delivered.
VAR changes the on-field decision After the ball was sent into the Tricolor box, Studer hit it first time. And the ball struck Ignácio’s right arm, as he was right on top of the play. And he was already pulling his arm back. The referee signaled offside, but was called by VAR. He then came back and awarded the penalty. Libertadores top scorer Arce stepped up and made it 1-1 in the 96th minute.
He is f%&@ing awesome! Flu started well, but fell behind after Lucho Acosta blasted his penalty over. But the Tricolor goalkeeper denied Florentín and Atencio.
And Tricolor booked its place in the quarterfinals with a 5-4 win.
What now❓ Fluminense now awaits the winner between Coquimbo Unido and Platense. After a 1-1 draw in Argentina, the teams will face each other again this Wednesday (19). The possible semifinal opponent will be LDU, Mirassol, Cerro Porteño, or Palmeiras. Tricolor will return to Brasileirão action on Saturday (22). It is currently fourth and will face Remo (18th) at the Maracanã.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.