- The 'Tricolor' dominated possession but lacked clarity, while the Mendoza side had the best chance of the night: a Matías Fernández free-kick that struck the post.
- The tie will be decided on Tuesday, 18 August, at 19:00 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas.
The first leg of the CONMEBOL Libertadores Round of 16 produced another familiar chapter in this matchup at the Maracanã: Fluminense and Independiente Rivadavia drew 0-0, leaving qualification for the Quarter-finals to be decided in Mendoza, where the 'Lepra Mendocina' will have home advantage after winning Group C — the same group they shared with the 'Tricolor' during the Group Stage.
Fluminense controlled possession from start to finish but never managed to turn that control into genuine dominance. Luis Zubeldía's side, with Hulk and Thiago Silva surprisingly included in the starting line-up, repeatedly ran into the well-organised defensive block set up by Alfredo Berti. Most of the hosts' attempts came from outside the penalty area and did not force Franco Bolcato into any difficult saves.
Independiente Rivadavia, meanwhile, made patience part of their game plan. Sitting deep and waiting for their opportunities, the Mendoza side broke forward whenever the circumstances allowed and found spaces behind the Carioca midfield, although they lacked precision in the final ball. Even so, the two clearest chances of the match fell their way: early in the second half, Matías Fernández collected a loose ball from the right and sent an effort across the penalty area that struck the left-hand post; later in the half, right-back Ezequiel Bonifacio broke through on the counter-attack but was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Fábio.
The match in numbers:
- Fluminense were held to a goalless draw in the first leg of a CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout tie for the third time in their history. Of the previous two occasions, the only tie in which they were eliminated was the one in which they drew the first leg at home: against Olimpia in 2013, before losing 2-1 in Paraguay.
- Independiente Rivadavia are unbeaten in all seven of their CONMEBOL Libertadores matches (5W 2D) and became the third Argentine team to remain undefeated in their first seven games in the history of the competition, after Vélez Sarsfield in 1980 (4W 3D) and River in 1966 (6W 1D).
- Since at least 2014, Independiente Rivadavia are the first visiting team to draw a CONMEBOL Libertadores match at the Maracanã with less than 28% possession (26%).
- Guga made seven tackles against Independiente Rivadavia (4/7), the highest tally by a Fluminense player in a CONMEBOL Libertadores match since André against Olimpia in March 2022 (7/3).
- Yeferson Soteldo attempted 10 dribbles against Independiente Rivadavia, completing five of them, the highest total by a Fluminense player in a CONMEBOL Libertadores match since Jhon Arias against Sporting Cristal in June 2023 (4/10).
- Fluminense had 72% possession compared to Independiente Rivadavia's 28%. In their two matches against Flu, the Lepra Mendocina recorded their lowest possession figures of the year: 28% in the 1-1 draw and again in this match.
