- Fluminense, Palmeiras and Flamengo won the opening matches of their respective CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 Quarter-final ties.
- Estudiantes and Corinthians drew in La Plata and will head into the return leg in São Paulo level on aggregate.
Brazilian clubs set the tone at the start of the CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 Quarter-finals. Fluminense and Flamengo both secured two-goal advantages against Platense and Independiente del Valle, respectively, while Palmeiras edged Liga de Quito by a single goal.
Corinthians completed an unbeaten week for the Brazilian representatives, fighting back against Estudiantes to earn a 1-1 draw in La Plata. The four ties will be decided between Tuesday, 15 September, and Thursday, 17 September, with a place in the Semi-finals at stake and the dream of lifting ‘The Eternal Glory’ still alive.
Fluminense 2-0 Platense
Fluminense made the most of two moments of quality in the first half to build an important advantage at the Maracanã. In the 21st minute, an error in Platense’s build-up left the ball at Hulk’s feet, and he picked out Nonato for the midfielder to finish through Juan Pablo Cozzani’s legs and open the scoring.
Ten minutes later, Hulk went from provider to scorer. He received a pass from Paulo Henrique Ganso, drove into the box from the left and finished with a low left-footed strike across goal. Platense tried to respond and ended the match with 13 shots — compared with Fluminense’s four — but only one was on target. The ‘Calamar’ will look to overturn the tie next Tuesday in Vicente López.
Palmeiras 1-0 Liga de Quito
Palmeiras dominated in São Paulo, created a succession of chances and found the breakthrough through Agustín Giay. In the 25th minute, Vitor Roque held up the ball, drove into the box and forced Gonzalo Valle into a save. The goalkeeper parried the effort, but the Argentine full-back followed the play and headed home his first goal in 98 appearances for the ‘Verdão’.
Giay also proved decisive at the other end, preventing José Carabalí from finishing into an unguarded net. Valle kept Liga in the tie during Palmeiras’ spells of greatest pressure and limited the advantage of a side that finished the match with 28 shots. The Ecuadorian team will need to win by one goal in Quito to force a penalty shootout, or by a greater margin to advance outright.
Estudiantes 1-1 Corinthians
Estudiantes struck early in La Plata. In the fourth minute, Hugo Souza parried Guido Carrillo’s header following a cross from Joaquín Tobio Burgos, and Alexis Castro reacted quickest to the rebound inside the six-yard box to make it 1-0. The Argentine side had chances to extend their lead, but the Corinthians goalkeeper kept his team in the contest.
The ‘Timão’ responded just after the start of the second half. Rodrigo Garro found Kaio César between the lines, and the young forward finished into the far corner to level the match. Souza came to Corinthians’ rescue again late on, most notably with a save from Joaquín Correa’s header, leaving the tie completely open ahead of the return leg at the Neo Química Arena.
Independiente del Valle 0-2 Flamengo
Independiente del Valle dominated the first half at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, registering ten shots and coming close to taking the lead when Carlos González struck the post. Flamengo, meanwhile, failed to attempt a single shot during the opening 45 minutes.
The defending champions responded with maximum efficiency after the break. Bruno Henrique scored in the 61st minute following a cross from Samuel Lino, before Léo Pereira doubled the advantage with a header in the 75th. Flamengo finished the match with just four shots, two of them on target, and both ended in goals. The ‘Mengão’ will return to the Maracanã with a two-goal advantage, while Independiente del Valle will need to win by two to force a penalty shootout or by three to advance outright.
