Ninety minutes of hanging on
Fluminense lost the match and won the tie. Platense beat them 2-1 in Buenos Aires overnight, and the Brazilians still walked off into the Copa Libertadores semifinals with a 3-2 aggregate win.
The home side did what they needed to for 57 minutes. Guido Mainero struck in the 30th, Bruno Sepulveda added a second right on halftime, and the tie was level at 2-2 with a place in the last four sitting there for whoever wanted it.
Agustin Canobbio settled it. His goal in the 57th minute restored Fluminense’s cushion and left Platense needing two more against a side happy to defend a lead away from home. They never got close again.
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The Maracana did the heavy lifting
The work had been done in the first leg, where Nonato and Hulk scored to give Fluminense the margin they would eventually need. Two-goal leads carried to Argentina do not always survive. This one did, barely.
Fluminense have now reached the Libertadores semifinals three times in their history. The previous two came in 2008 and in 2023, the year they won the competition. This is not a club with a long habit of getting this far, which is worth remembering when they are described as favourites.
For Platense the run ends one step short. A club with no history at this stage of the tournament came within a goal of a first semifinal, and did it by winning the second leg against the 2023 champions.
Who they meet next
Fluminense wait on the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito and Palmeiras. Corinthians and Estudiantes settle their 1-1 tie on the same night, and holders Flamengo face Independiente del Valle on Thursday.
The final is set for November 28 at the Centenario in Montevideo. Fluminense are two rounds away from going back to a stadium where the tournament tends to reward whoever defends best, which is exactly how they got through this one.
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