At La Fortaleza Stadium, in Argentina, Flamengo lost to Lanús 1-0 this Thursday (19th), in the first leg of the 2026 Recopa Sudamericana.
The first half was marked by a lot of battling in midfield and little inspiration from the creative sectors of both teams.
The Argentinians relied heavily on crosses into the box, and goalkeeper Rossi, when called upon, had no trouble dealing with the shots.
The Rubro-Negro, on the other hand, had their best chance with Cebolinha, after a pass from Arrascaeta in the box, but struggled to break through the hosts’ defense.
After the break, the scenario didn’t change.
The difference was that Lanús posed more danger and gave goalkeeper Rossi more work.
The Argentinians almost extended their lead when Sepúlveda chipped the ball over Rossi, but it hit the crossbar.
👀 Scored 3, but only 1 counted
Semi-automatic offside technology saved Flamengo in Argentina.
Still early in the first half, after a free kick into the box, Salvio flicked the ball with his head at the near post, and Castillo got there before Rossi to put the ball in Flamengo’s net.
However, the play was ruled out for offside.
Later, already in the second half, Flamengo’s defense failed to clear a corner, and Castillo finished off in the box to score.
Once again, the striker was in an offside position.
But near the end, Castillo headed in a perfect cross from the left and put Lanús ahead on the scoreboard.
And it didn’t stop there 🤦
Flamengo’s night was also complicated in the “virtual world.”
That’s because the club’s profile on social network X (formerly Twitter) suffered a hacker attack.
🚦 What’s next
With the defeat, Flamengo needs to win by two goals at Maracanã next Thursday (26th) to claim the 2026 Recopa Sudamericana.
Lanús, meanwhile, only needs a draw to lift the trophy. If the Brazilian side wins by one goal, the title will be decided by penalties.
Before the final, the Rubro-Negro will play the first leg of the 2026 Cariocão semifinals next Sunday (22nd), against Madureira, at Maracanã.
The match against Mirassol, for the fourth round of the Brasileirão, which was scheduled for Wednesday (25th), was canceled by the CBF and does not yet have a new date set.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
