Racing Club suffered more than just a defeat in their visit to the Maracanã. In addition to the 1–0 loss against Flamengo in the first leg of the 2025 Copa Libertadores semifinals, the Argentine team left with a worrying image: the brutal hit Santiago Sosa received from his own teammate, Marcos Rojo, in the final minutes of the match.

The Elbow That Shocked All of Racing

The incident occurred in stoppage time, as Racing desperately searched for an equalizer. During an aerial challenge, Marcos Rojo, the former Boca Juniors player, leapt to contest the ball, but his elbow struck Sosa squarely in the face. The midfielder immediately fell to the ground, bleeding and with his right eye visibly swollen.

Formed at River Plate and one of Gustavo Costas’ key players, Sosa was quickly attended to by the medical staff. Despite the seriousness of the blow, he tried to get back on his feet and asked to return to the pitch to finish the match—a gesture applauded by his teammates and Racing fans alike. However, later images revealed the true extent of the injury: his eye completely shut, his cheekbone cut, and his jersey stained with blood.

After the game, Sosa was taken to Hospital Quinta D’Or in Rio de Janeiro, where tests confirmed a fracture of the upper right maxillary sinus. The player will return to Buenos Aires to be evaluated by a maxillofacial surgeon, making his participation in the second leg practically impossible.

Rojo Balances Self-Criticism and Confidence in a Comeback

The unfortunate collision capped off a bitter night for Marcos Rojo, who also played an inadvertent role in Flamengo’s winning goal. In the 88th minute, a shot from Jorge Carrascal deflected off the Argentine defender, wrong-footing Nazareno Colombo and sealing the 1–0 result for the Brazilian side.

Despite the setback, the experienced center-back remained optimistic about the return leg: “The result isn’t what we wanted, but we gave it everything. With our fans behind us, we can definitely turn it around,” he said in the mixed zone.

Rojo also thanked the supporters who traveled to Brazil and promised that the team would fight to reach the final: “We know it’ll be tough, but at the Cilindro de Avellaneda we’ll go out to win and show that this team has heart.”

The second leg is scheduled for October 29 in Avellaneda, where Racing will try to overturn the narrow deficit—though they’ll have to do it without one of their most important midfielders.