- Flamengo have not lost in the CONMEBOL Libertadores since the 1-0 defeat to Estudiantes in La Plata in 2025.
- In the 2026 edition they are 11 matches unbeaten, with seven wins and four draws.
On September 25, 2025, with the last action of the first half at the Estadio UNO, Gastón Benedetti collected a long pass from Santiago Núñez and fired a left-footed shot from outside the box that Agustín Rossi could not keep out. That 1-0 win for Estudiantes, in the second leg of the Quarterfinals, remains Flamengo's last defeat in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. Since that night in La Plata, the 'Mengão' have played 14 matches in the tournament without losing again.
According to Opta, before this Semifinal Flamengo had gone unbeaten in 20 of their last 21 matches in the competition, and the only exception was precisely that visit to the 'Pincha'. The defeat did not even cost them their place in the next round. In the second half, Pedro had a chance to equalize with an effort that Facundo Rodríguez cleared off the line, and Saúl hit the post; the 2-1 first-leg win at the Maracanã left the tie level at 2-2 on aggregate and, in the shootout, Rossi saved the penalties of Benedetti and Santiago Ascacíbar to seal a 4-2 win. "I told my teammates I was going to help them in the penalties," the goalkeeper said after that shootout.
That shootout was the starting point of a title run. In the Semifinals, Flamengo knocked out Racing with a 1-0 win in Rio de Janeiro and a 0-0 draw in Avellaneda, where they played much of the second half with ten men. On November 29, in Lima, they beat Palmeiras 1-0 with a Danilo header from a Giorgian De Arrascaeta corner and became the first Brazilian club to win the CONMEBOL Libertadores four times, the latest chapter of their golden era.
The unbeaten run even survived a change of coach. After losing the CONMEBOL Recopa to Lanús, Filipe Luís left his post and was replaced by Leonardo Jardim, who took over on March 4, 2026. With the Portuguese coach on the bench, Flamengo produced the best Group Stage campaign: 16 points out of 18, with wins over Cusco FC (2-0 and 3-0) and Independiente Medellín (4-1), a 1-1 draw against Estudiantes in La Plata and a 1-0 win over the same opponents at the Maracanã, with a goal from Pedro. The tally also includes the 3-0 win that CONMEBOL awarded them against Medellín, after the match at the Atanasio Girardot was suspended 5' into the first half due to incidents.
The knockout stages were more demanding. In the Round of 16, Jardim faced Cruzeiro, the club he had coached in 2025: Flamengo drew 1-1 at the Mineirão and knocked them out with a 2-1 win at the Maracanã.
In the Quarterfinals, against Independiente del Valle, they won 2-0 in Quito, the first away win in the history of that matchup. In the second leg, down to ten men after Jorginho's sending-off, they rescued a 1-1 draw when a long ball from Rossi found De Arrascaeta's head 38' into the second half. According to Opta, it was the first assist by a goalkeeper in the tournament's knockout stages since records began in 2013, and the result took Flamengo to their eighth Semifinal: since 2019, only Palmeiras have reached the last four more often.
The unbeaten run has its standout names, but it is a collective achievement. Bruno Henrique is the team's top scorer in this edition, with five goals from 13 shots: until this Thursday, his 38% conversion rate was the highest among players with more than five attempts. Rossi added the assist against Independiente del Valle to his saves in the La Plata shootout. And the team is also the only one in this CONMEBOL Libertadores averaging more than two direct attacks (2.2) and more than two build-up attacks (2.7) per match: they can score both on the counter and through possession.
The run arrived intact at the same venue as their last defeat. In the first leg of the Semifinals, Flamengo played without De Arrascaeta, Jorginho and Danilo, the scorer in Lima. They controlled the ball and, apart from a long-range shot that Rossi held 2' into the first half, Estudiantes were unable to trouble them. The 0-0 draw extended their unbeaten run in this edition to 11 matches, with seven wins and four draws. With Fluminense's defeat to Palmeiras in the other Semifinal, they are also the only one of the four semifinalists yet to lose in the tournament.
Flamengo already know what it is like to win the CONMEBOL Libertadores without losing: in 2022 they lifted their third title with 12 wins and one draw in 13 matches. To do it again, they have at most two matches left: the second leg and the Final on November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. The second leg will be played on Thursday, October 22, at the Maracanã, once again against Estudiantes, the last team to beat them.
