Flamengo was defeated by Lanús 1-0 on Thursday night (19), at the Estadio Cidade de Lanús, in Buenos Aires, in the first leg of the CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana final. Having won the Libertadores, Flamengo opened the title race against the winner of the Sudamericana and will now decide the trophy at the Maracanã, on the 26th, in front of the Nation.

 

Despite having more possession for much of the match, Filipe Luís' team struggled to convert that possession into clear chances and penetrate the Argentinian defense. After two Lanús goals were disallowed throughout the game, Rodrigo Castillo scored the only valid goal of the night, securing the home team's advantage for the return leg.

 

The game

 

The start was disjointed at La Fortaleza. Despite having around 70% possession in the opening minutes, Flamengo found Lanús competitive, alternating between high and low pressing and looking to attack. In the sixth minute, from a free kick into the area, Medina controlled the ball and shot powerfully, but Rossi made a good save.

 

At 10 minutes, Salvio headed the ball after it was crossed into the area, Castillo pushed it into the goal, but the referee called offside at the start of the play. Shortly after, Salvio threatened again with a powerful shot from the right, and Rossi parried it away. On the rebound, Varela set it up for the goalkeeper to catch.

 

As time went on, Lanús began to put more pressure on Flamengo's defense. Flamengo tried to respond with set pieces and passing exchanges through the middle. The best chance of the first half came in the 34th minute, when Arrascaeta played a great ball to Cebolinha, who shot firmly with his left foot, forcing a save from goalkeeper Losada. On the rebound, the Uruguayan shot again, but the defense blocked it.

 

In the final minutes of the first half, Flamengo improved. Paquetá took a shot from the edge of the box, the ball deflected and went out for a corner. Even so, after three minutes of added time, the score remained 0-0. Flamengo had 64% possession in the first half, in a match with a lot of midfield battles and few clear opportunities.

 

After the break, Flamengo pushed forward and tried to stifle Argentina's build-up play. Six minutes in, during an attempted break down the right flank, Varela was fouled hard by Marcich, who received a yellow card.

 

At the 10-minute mark, Carrera made a dangerous run into the box, but Léo Ortiz made a crucial interception to prevent the goal. Shortly after, Carrascal had an open goal after Losada came out of his goal, but hesitated on the pass and it was intercepted.

 

Filipe Luís made changes in the 12th minute, bringing on Pedro and Samuel Lino in place of Arrascaeta and Cebolinha, respectively. The team then began to occupy the attacking half even more. In the 16th minute, Alex Sandro crossed and Pedro headed the ball dangerously close to the goal. Moments later, Lino's shot was blocked inside the area.

 

Lanús responded and even had another goal disallowed in the 23rd minute, again by Castillo, after VAR confirmed an offside.

 

At 31 minutes, Filipe Luís made another substitution. Luiz Araújo left the field for De La Cruz to enter, repositioning the midfield and allowing Paquetá to play further forward in an attempt to find the equalizer.

 

Shortly after the substitution, Lanús opened the scoring. From a cross into the box, Castillo once again appeared between the defenders and headed the ball into the net, making it impossible for Rossi, this time in an onside position, to make the save: 1-0.

 

In the 33rd minute, Carrascal arrived late in a challenge in midfield and received a yellow card.

 

After the goal, Lanús grew stronger and almost extended their lead with a lobbed shot that hit the crossbar. Flamengo tried to react in the final minutes. Léo Ortiz crossed for Pedro to head dangerously, and Carrascal also took a free kick into the area, but Losada cleared it.

 

In the final statistics, Flamengo ended the match with 65% possession, 564 passes exchanged and 25 tackles, but only managed 9 shots on goal, compared to Lanús' 17, who also had an advantage in corner kicks (12 to 3).

 

After five minutes of added time, Venezuelan referee Alex Herrera ended the match with a victory for the Argentinian team. The Recopa final will be played at the Maracanã on February 26th.

 

Flamengo

 

Agustín Rossi; Alex Sandro, Léo Pereira, Léo Ortiz and Guillermo Varela; Lucas Paquetá and Erick; Everton Cebolinha (Samuel Lino), De Arrascaeta (Pedro) and Luiz Araújo (De La Cruz); Jorge Carrascal.

Coach: Filipe Luís.

 

Lanús

 

Nahuel Losada; Sasha Marcich, José Canale, Carlos Izquierdoz and Tomás Guidara; Agustín Cardozo and Agustín Medina (Peña Biafore); Ramiro Carrera (Dylan Aquino), Marcelino Moreno (Franco Watson) and Eduardo Salvio (Matías Sepúlveda); Rodrigo Castillo (Walter Bou).

Coach: Mauricio Pallegrino

 

Week's agenda

 

The Most Beloved returns to the field next Sunday (22), at 20:30 pm, to face Madureira, at Maracanã, for the first leg of the Carioca Championship semi-final.

 

Credits

 

Lanús 1-0 Flamengo – CONMEBOL Recopa | First Leg of the Final

Location: Lanús City Stadium – Buenos Aires

Date and time: 19/02/2026 at 21:30 am

Arbitration: Alex Herrera (VEN), Jorge Urrego (VEN) and Lubin Torrealba (VEN)

Yellow cards: Sasha Marcich (LAN), Jorge Carrascal (FLA)

Goal: Rodrigo Castillo31'2ºT).