10/23/2026 08:11:00
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10/23 08:10 CDT Muslera's 3 penalty saves lift 10-man Estudiantes past Flamengo
into Libertadores final
Muslera's 3 penalty saves lift 10-man Estudiantes past Flamengo into
Libertadores final
By The Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) --- Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera saved three penalties to
help Estudiantes de La Plata overcome a second-half red card Thursday and
eliminate defending champion Flamengo to secure a spot in the Copa Libertadores
final.
Following two goalless draws in the series, the 40-year-old Uruguay veteran ---
who played in five World Cups --- denied penalty attempts from Jorginho, Lucas
Paquet, and Bruno Henrique to lead the Argentine side to a 3-2 shootout
victory.
Estudiantes, reduced to 10 men in the 50th minute when Baltasar Rodrguez was
sent off, will now face Palmeiras in the final at Uruguay's Centenario Stadium
on Nov. 28.
The Argentine club will aim to break a seven-year streak of consecutive
tournament victories by Brazilian teams in South America's premier club
competition.
The last non-Brazilian club to lift the trophy was Argentina's River Plate in
2018.
Estudiantes will be pursuing their fifth Copa Libertadores title --- and their
first since 2009 --- against a Palmeiras side that last won the tournament
during their back-to-back title runs in 2020--21.
The Argentine victory marked a major upset: Estudiantes' squad is valued at
just over $61 million compared to Flamengo's --- one of the most expensive
rosters in the Americas --- at around $236 million.
___
This version of the story is corrected to show that Estudiantes de La Plata's
goalkeeper is Fernando Muslera, not Jorge Muslera. -__
See AP's full soccer coverage here
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