Flamingo, giant and popular Flamingois the new hero of Libertadores Cup. Once again a Brazilian at the top of America. Unfortunately for Argentines, this last sentence has become a habit. At the memorial Limein a secret duel that featured the controversial referee, Florida, which was from the beginning Agustin Rossiwon 1-0 Palmeiras With a header goal from Danilo in the second half.
Captains of Argentine football teams should take note of this. Brazil’s economic opulence is not the only explanation for the phenomenon occurring in the Libertadores. Internal competition is what raises the bar, what pushes you upward. And while Brazilian It is a unified and recognized tournament in the world. The professional league changes its format from year to year, brings together clubs and even has the luxury of crowning a team once the tournament ends, as happened with Rosario Central.
Statistics could make the alarms louder: Brazilian alarms have retained the last seven editions of Editors. They also tied Argentina in crowns, both with 25 crowns. But from 2010 to 2025, those coming from here were unable to celebrate River, on only two occasions, and San Lorenzo. How much did they celebrate there? 12 of 16.
Flamengo won the Libertadores for the fourth time and became the most successful in their country. The dedication was fair to what he did in Peru and what he did all year. There fans will chew the rage students And who racewho competed on equal terms with those from Rio. Even those from La Plata went to penalties.
The meeting was boring because FlamingoWho carried the weight of the match (60 percent of possession), did not have many ideas to penetrate Palmeiras’ defence. Because the Portuguese team, Abel Ferreira, went out to wait for the rival’s opponent. Or pray for a blocked ball with the ever-dangerous Gustavo Gomez, a specialist when it comes to headers. He found neither of the two things.
Only in the second half did the game open with a header from Danilo, the 34-year-old defender who knew how to play football. Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester Cityamong other things. Yes, Florida has that type of player. Corner Giorgian de Arrascaeta The penalty kick was as perfect as the defender’s jump and header. It was a very strong blow for Palmeiras, who was unable to recover.
But the incident had a star turn for the referee Dario Herrera And who Hector Palettain VAR. The red they didn’t get from the Chilean in the first half Eric PolgarThe Flamengo midfielder was scandalous. “Always at the top, proud of all of you. Every achievement obtained is the result of repeated work that you have developed. Congratulations, we strive to achieve more,” Federico Bellegui, national director of refereeing at the Argentine Football Association, said loudly when South American Confederation It was announced that the Argentine referees would be in the final in Lima. These words turned against him.
But what happened? There were 32 minutes when Pulgar fired a massive shot at Bruno Fuchs. It is possible that Herrera did not see the match because the match was stopped and de Arrascaeta was on the ground. What is not understood is the lack of a VAR call. The Palmeiras defender remained on the ground for long minutes while marking the blocks. The kick was clear. Everyone at Verdau ordered red. Herrera gave Pulgar a yellow card and touched his intercom several times. Paletta did not contact him for review. There was no clear repetition in that period. Herrera resumed the duel.
The controversy ended minutes later when a replay of the play was broadcast. The kick was detected. Herrera’s blunder also did not help Paletta in any way.
In any case, Flamengo was more than Palmeiras, as they stayed with Libertadores once again He earned $33 million. Brazilian teams continue to sweep. Can dominance be reduced in 2026?