- ‘El Calamar’ dominated the night in Vicente López, took the lead, missed a penalty and suffered a late setback.
- Coquimbo Unido deserved their reward after the break and found the equaliser through Guido Vadalá, whose introduction from the bench proved decisive.
The stage seemed set for Platense to continue writing their historic international campaign, but in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, victories are never secured until the referee blows the final whistle. In uncharted territory for both sides, ‘El Calamar’ appeared to be heading towards a winning night thanks to Luciano Giménez’s goal and the penalty that Guido Mainero, usually so reliable from the spot, stepped up to take in the 38th minute of the second half.
But Diego Sánchez had other ideas. The experienced goalkeeper for the Chilean side read the forward’s intentions — a player who has so often been Platense’s hero — saved the penalty and then produced a superb second stop to deny Nicolás López’s close-range effort. ‘El Mono’ kept Coquimbo Unido alive and, when all seemed lost, the Chilean side found their reward with the final action of the night.
The ending was cruel on Platense, who had built their lead on a solid and patient performance. After an evenly contested first half, Martín Palermo’s side gradually began to take control and finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute: Juan Ignacio Saborido delivered the cross and Luciano Giménez rose inside the box to power a superb header past Sánchez. The striker, one of the club’s signings for the second half of the year, delivered at just the right moment to spark celebrations in Vicente López and once again vindicated Palermo’s faith in him. A prolific goalscorer himself, the coach has developed a reputation for bringing the best out of the centre-forwards in his squads.
Coquimbo Unido, also making their first-ever appearance in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Round of 16, responded after the break. Hernán Caputto’s side pushed higher up the pitch and, in the opening stages of the second half, began to establish themselves more frequently in opposition territory. Lucas Pratto, Sebastián Galani and Cristian Zavala were all involved in the Chilean side’s attempts to find an equaliser, while Platense relied on their defensive structure to protect their lead. Zavala, a constant threat down the right flank, repeatedly created openings for his team.
As the minutes passed, ‘El Calamar’ began to find space again and were handed what looked like a decisive opportunity. Mainero was brought down inside the area and, following a VAR review, referee Juan Benítez awarded a penalty. The forward himself stepped up to take it, but this time he failed from the spot where he had so often delivered: Sánchez saved his effort and then denied ‘Diente’ López on the rebound to preserve the 1-0 scoreline as the match entered its closing stages.
That save would take on even greater significance just a few minutes later. If a narrow defeat already looked like a positive result for ‘Los Piratas’, given the opportunity the hosts had failed to convert, the eventual outcome would feel almost like a victory.
Coquimbo continued to push for an equaliser and were finally rewarded in the 50th minute of the second half. Cristian Zavala was involved in the build-up before Guido Vadalá, who made a major impact after coming off the bench, appeared to score the decisive 1-1 equaliser. The Argentine forward, who came through the ranks at Boca Juniors and also had a spell with Juventus, once again proved decisive for ‘El Pirata’ in this year’s competition.
And so, a night that seemed destined to become another unforgettable chapter in Platense’s historic first international campaign ended with mixed emotions. ‘El Calamar’ had been just minutes — and one penalty — away from travelling to Chile with an advantage, but Coquimbo Unido held firm until the very end and earned a hugely valuable draw.
The tie remains completely open and will be decided in Chile, where the two sides will meet again for a place among the final eight teams in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores. The winner will face whichever side advances from the tie between Fluminense and Independiente Rivadavia in the Quarter-finals.
