Fluminense are through to the Copa Libertadores semifinals, but only just. The Brazilian side lost 2-1 to Platense on Tuesday night in Buenos Aires, advancing 3-2 on aggregate after a second half that nearly turned into one of the great Libertadores comebacks.
How the night unfolded
Fluminense arrived in Argentina with a comfortable 2-0 cushion from the first leg at the Maracanã on September 8, where Nonato and Hulk scored in the first half. Comfortable, that is, until Platense tore it apart in 45 minutes.
The hosts struck twice before halftime at the Estadio Ciudad de Vicente López. Guido Mainero and Bruno Sepúlveda scored, Sepúlveda’s coming in first-half stoppage time off a Mainero assist, to level the aggregate at 2-2 and put Fluminense’s semifinal place in genuine danger.
Then came the goal that ended the dream. Agustín Canobbio scored in the second half to make it 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate, restoring Fluminense’s lead in the tie and deflating a raucous home crowd. Platense pushed for the third goal that would have forced penalties, but it never came.
What it means
This is the third Copa Libertadores semifinal in Fluminense’s history, after 2008, when they beat Boca Juniors before losing the final to LDU Quito, and 2023, when they went all the way and lifted the trophy against Boca.
Their reward is a semifinal against the winner of LDU Quito vs. Palmeiras. Palmeiras carry a 1-0 lead into Wednesday’s second leg in Quito (Agustín Giay scored the only goal in São Paulo), so Fluminense could yet face an all-Brazilian tie. The semifinal first legs are scheduled for October 13-15.
Fluminense were the better team over 180 minutes, but Tuesday was a warning: in the Libertadores knockout rounds, no lead is safe in Argentina. The semifinalists will have taken note.
