Flamengo drew 1-1 with Independiente in the Copa Sudamericana final at Maracanã Stadium, and saw the competition title slip away. With the victory in the first leg, the Argentines took the trophy.
Needing a goal, Flamengo launched an attack, playing differently than usual, using passing and waiting for the best opportunity. The intention was to corner Independiente in their own half, and it worked. Good chances arrived, first through Everton and then through Paquetá.
In the 11th minute, Vizeu spotted Everton coming in from behind and delivered a perfect pass. The striker was one-on-one with the goal, but his shot was weak, but Campana saved it. Three minutes later, Paquetá made a dash for the ball down the right, but his shot went wide.
The dominance in the first half was total. The Argentines didn't even get past the halfway line. It was only a matter of time, not much time.
In the 29th minute, Diego took a free kick, Rever sent it into disarray, and the ball fell to Paquetá, who, under the crossbar, pushed it into the net, provoking a complete catharsis for the red-and-blacks at Maracanã. Independiente's lead was gone.
Five minutes later, drama struck. A penalty for the Argentines. It took a while to convert it. Their goal. The blow hit the team hard, and they didn't create any more chances until the end of the half, which ended in a draw.
The second half began with Paquetá nearly scoring the goal of the decade. The striker picked up the ball in the Flamengo half and fired toward the Buenos Aires goal. One, two, three defenders swarmed to try to contain the youngster. They brought him down, but Paquetá spun on the ground and shot, but it went straight into Campana's hands.
The Argentines began their traditional wait. As time passed, Flamengo became nervous. Reinaldo Rueda took off Trauco and brought on Vinicius Junior in the 10th minute.
At 14, every red-and-black heart in the world stopped. Gigliotti beat Cuéllar in the race, got in unmarked, and chipped the ball over César. Juan appeared and cleared the ball off the line.
It was a game of grit and heart. Flamengo pushed forward and put pressure on Independiente. In the 19th minute, Paquetá took a shot from outside the box; the ball deflected off Arão and fooled the opposing goalkeeper, but went wide.
At 32, Everton Ribeiro came on and in his first move, he put the ball on Réver's head, but it capriciously went out.
And that was the tone. The ball kept going out. In the last minute, Réver had the final chance, but the ball went too high. Flamengo fought back, but the South American Cup slipped away at the Maracanã.