Fluminense survived a tension-filled night in Mendoza and secured its place in the Copa Libertadores 2026 quarterfinals. After drawing 1-1 with Independiente Rivadavia over 90 minutes, the Brazilian side won 5-4 in the penalty shootout, with Fábio emerging as the key figure after saving two spot kicks.

After the 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Maracanã, the tie once again proved extremely even. Kevin Serna put Flu ahead in the second half despite the visitors playing with ten men, but Alex Arce equalized from the penalty spot in stoppage time to send the contest to a dramatic shootout.

A tight battle from the start

Independiente Rivadavia came out determined to make home advantage count at the Malvinas Argentinas, but Fluminense managed to control possession for long stretches of the first half.

The Brazilian side enjoyed close to 70% possession during the opening half, although it struggled to turn that control into clear chances. Hulk and Thiago Silva found a few opportunities from set pieces, but the score remained goalless.

La Lepra, which had put together one of the tournament’s most surprising campaigns, also struggled to find enough space to break down the Rio de Janeiro side’s defensive organization.

The red card that completely changed the game

The match took a major turn in the 57th minute, when Agustín Canobbio received his second yellow card and left Fluminense with ten men.

With a numerical advantage and the backing of its home crowd, Independiente Rivadavia appeared to have the perfect opportunity to tilt the tie in its favor. However, Flu dropped deeper, held firm and found spaces to attack on the counter.

Serna struck when Fluminense was under the most pressure

In the 75th minute, Hércules found space to launch a transition and slipped a precise pass through to Kevin Serna, who got in behind the defense and finished low to make it 1-0.

The Colombian had entered just minutes earlier in place of Hulk, and his impact was immediate. Despite playing with a man down, Fluminense had found the goal that appeared enough to secure qualification.

Independiente Rivadavia then threw everything forward, while the Brazilian side defended deeper and deeper around Fábio’s penalty area.

Arce appeared when it seemed all over

A handball by Ignácio inside the box was reviewed by VAR and resulted in a penalty for Independiente Rivadavia.

Alex Arce stepped up and converted from the spot to make it 1-1 as the match entered its final moments. The equalizer also left the aggregate score level and forced the tie to be decided by penalties.

Fábio became the hero of the night

The shootout began with another setback for Fluminense when Lucho Acosta missed one of the Brazilian side’s penalties, but then Fábio stepped up.

The 45-year-old goalkeeper saved two Independiente Rivadavia penalties, including Atencio’s decisive effort, to seal a 5-4 shootout victory.

Thiago Silva, Renê, Hércules, Martinelli and Guga all converted their penalties for the Rio de Janeiro side, which found a dramatic way to survive in Mendoza and keep its continental hopes alive.

Fluminense keeps the dream alive

With the victory, Fluminense advances to the Copa Libertadores 2026 quarterfinals and awaits the winner of the tie between Platense and Coquimbo Unido.

For Independiente Rivadavia, a historic first-ever Libertadores campaign comes to an end after pushing one of the continent’s recent champions to the limit.

For Flu, however, the journey continues. And after a night in which it played with ten men, came within seconds of qualifying in regulation and was ultimately forced to survive from the penalty spot, Fábio had the final word.