In a closely contested and difficult duel, Flamengo made the red-black mystique of not giving up until the end prevail and beat Racing 1-0 this Wednesday (22), at Maracanã, taking the lead in the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores semifinals. Carrascal, one of the best on the field, scored the only goal for the red-black team in the final minutes of the second half. Now, the Mais Querido will have a draw in their favor in the return leg, in Argentina, to reach another continental decision. 

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The game

The match began with Flamengo seeking to control possession, exchanging passes from defense to attack. The first attack came in the fifth minute, with Luiz Araújo passing to Carrascal, who cut inside the marker and passed to Arrascaeta inside the box. The number 10 let the ball slip, and the goalkeeper came out to smother it. 

Racing, on the other hand, adopted a more defensive stance, waiting for the red-and-black team in their own half to try to surprise them on the counterattack. In the 15th minute, Arrascaeta set up Carrascal to shoot first time inside the box, but Cambeses held firm.

Another good chance for Flamengo came in the 20th minute, with Carrascal launching Alex Sandro down the left. The full-back crossed to the far post, Varela headed it in for Arrascaeta to hit it first time. The ball hit the post before going out for a goal kick. 

With ample possession, Rubro-Negro launched themselves into attack, patiently exchanging passes to try to find space in the Argentine defense to penetrate. 

In the final minutes, the Mais Querido had two chances to open the scoring. In the first, Carrascal made a good play down the left and crossed into the box for Varela to lay off. The ball fell to Pedro, who controlled it and shot, but the goalkeeper palmed it away for a corner. Luiz Araújo's shot was met by a bicycle kick, sending it wide. The first half ended goalless at Maracanã.

The ball started rolling again in the second half, and Flamengo quickly created a good opportunity. Pedro passed the ball over the bar to Arrascaeta, who got behind the Argentine defense and tried to shoot, but his shot was wide. 

Around the 10th minute, Plata and Ayrton Lucas came on for the red-and-black team, replacing Luiz Araújo and Alex Sandro. Three minutes later, Arrascaeta drove freely down the left, cut inside, and unleashed a shot. Cambeses stretched to palm the ball away and prevent the goal. 

In the 23rd minute, Plata sent a first-time pass to Ayrton Lucas, who burst into the box and shot wide. The other two changes for the red-and-black team were the introduction of Bruno Henrique and Samuel Lino in place of Pedro and Arrascaeta. 

The best chance of the game so far came in the 31st minute. Plata went to the byline and crossed into the box looking for Carrascal, who tried to control it. The ball hit Bruno Henrique and fell to Samuel Lino, who unleashed a powerful shot that was saved by Cambeses. 

Flamengo took the lead in the 35th minute with a beautiful header from Samuel Lino. However, after a VAR review, the referee ruled the striker offside. After hammering away at the goal, Flamengo opened the scoring in the 42nd minute. And this time, it counted! Carrascal passed to Bruno Henrique behind the defense, and the striker's shot was saved by Cambeses. Carrascal fired the ball into the net, but the ball deflected off Rojo and went in to delight the Red-Black Nation: 1-0.

The referee added seven minutes of stoppage time, and nearly missed a second in the 50th minute. Erick Pulgar passed to Samuel Lino on the left, who cut inside and shot. The ball went wide of the net. Shortly after, the referee blew the final whistle. With this result, Mengão will have the advantage of a draw in the second leg to reach the Copa Libertadores final. 

Flamengo

Rossi; Varela (Emerson Royal), Danilo, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro (Ayrton Lucas); Erick Pulgar, Jorginho and Arrascaeta (Samuel Lino); Luiz Araújo (Plata), Carrascal and Pedro (Bruno Henrique).
Coach: Filipe Luís.

Racing

Cambeses; Martirena, Colombo, Marcos Rojo and Gabriel Rojas (Mura); Santiago Sosa, Zuculini and Almendra (Nardoni); Solari (Zaracho), Adrián Martínez (Balboa) and Conechny.
Coach: Gustavo Costas.

Week's agenda

Mengão returns to the field on Saturday (25) to face Fortaleza, at 19:30 pm, at Arena Castelão, for the 30th round of the Brasileirão. 

Technical sheet

Flamengo 1x0 Racing – Conmebol Libertadores | Semifinal First Leg
Location: Maracanã, RJ
Date and time: 22/10/2025 at 21:30 am
Audience and income: 71.378 attendees / R$ 9.714.891,25
Arbitration: Jesús Valenzuela (VEN), Jorge Urrego Martínez (VEN) and Tulio Moreno (VEN)
Yellow cards: Santiago Sosa (RAC), Ayrton Lucas (FLA) and Zuzulini (RAC)
Goal: Carrascal (42'2nd half).