- Carlos Miguel saved three penalties across the two shootouts Palmeiras won in this edition, against LDU Quito and Fluminense.
- Fernando Muslera, meanwhile, made three saves in Estudiantes' semi-final against Flamengo at the Maracanã.
Both CONMEBOL Libertadores 2026 semi-finals were decided on penalties, and on each occasion it was a goalkeeper who took centre stage. At the Nubank Parque, Carlos Miguel denied Nonato from Fluminense's fourth spot-kick as Palmeiras won the shootout 5-3. A day later, at the Maracanã, Fernando Muslera saved efforts from Jorginho, Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Henrique as Estudiantes eliminated Flamengo 3-2 on penalties. The two goalkeepers will face off in the single-leg Final at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on Saturday 28 November. Should the teams remain level after extra time, the title will also be decided from the penalty spot.
For the Palmeiras goalkeeper, it was his second such night of the campaign. In the quarter-final second leg in Ecuador, LDU Quito had turned the match around with two goals from Michael Estrada from the 90th minute onwards, forcing a shootout. Carlos Miguel saved penalties from Lucas Rodríguez and Luis Segovia as Verdão prevailed 4-3. According to Opta, he became only the second Palmeiras goalkeeper to save at least two penalties in a single CONMEBOL Libertadores shootout, following Marcos, who had achieved the feat against Peñarol in 2000, Cruzeiro in 2001 and Sport Recife in 2009. Against Fluminense, after Hércules had scored in the 82nd minute to level the aggregate score at 2-2, Carlos Miguel dived to his left to keep out Nonato's effort before Marlon Freitas sealed the shootout victory.
His opportunity between the posts was a long time coming. Having developed in the youth ranks of Flamengo and Internacional, he competed with Cássio, a CONMEBOL Libertadores winner in 2012, at Corinthians before claiming the starting spot in 2024. In August 2025, he returned to Brazil after a brief spell at Nottingham Forest, and in October that year an injury to Weverton, a key figure in Palmeiras' 2020 and 2021 title triumphs, opened the door for him to become first-choice goalkeeper. He has not relinquished the position since. The 2.04m-tall goalkeeper prefers to keep his methods for studying penalty takers to himself. "We work extremely hard every day. I don't like discussing the strategy I use with anyone. I have a long career ahead of me and I'm not going to reveal all my thinking right at the start," he explained after qualifying in Quito.
At the opposite end will be a 40-year-old Uruguayan who has waited his entire career to reach this Final. Muslera left Nacional for Italy at a young age, spent almost two decades in Europe with Lazio and Galatasaray, and joined Estudiantes in June 2025. At the Maracanã, after two goalless draws, the tie was placed in his hands. According to Opta, no goalkeeper had previously saved a penalty taken by Jorginho for Flamengo, with the midfielder having converted all 12 of his previous attempts. No goalkeeper had saved three penalties in a single CONMEBOL Libertadores shootout, excluding the preliminary rounds, since Agustín Orión did so for Boca Juniors against Nacional in the 2016 quarter-finals. "In a penalty shootout, goalkeepers have that extra opportunity to contribute," he reflected afterwards.
The night also brought a measure of revenge. Thirteen months earlier, in the 2025 quarter-finals, Flamengo had eliminated Estudiantes in a shootout in La Plata, with Agustín Rossi making two saves. Muslera also knew what it meant to win a title with El Pincha on penalties: he had played a key role in the shootout against Racing that secured the club the 2025 Torneo Clausura title. His coach, Alexander Medina, praised him after the match at the Maracanã: "If we're in a Final today, it's because of his outstanding performance. I'm very happy for him because he's been through a difficult time."
The clubs' histories also carry weight. Palmeiras have won 10 of their 14 penalty shootouts in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, with only Boca Juniors, who have won 11 of 17, recording more victories. They have won all seven shootouts against Brazilian opposition, while their four defeats have come against foreign sides, three of them against Boca. They have experienced both sides of a Final decided from the penalty spot: in 1999, with Marcos in goal, they defeated Deportivo Cali in a shootout to claim their first Gloria Eterna; a year later, they lost the Final to Boca by the same method. Under Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras have won three of their four shootouts and, in 2026, celebrated two shootout victories in a single edition once again, as they did in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Estudiantes, meanwhile, arrived in Rio de Janeiro determined to put a disappointing record behind them. Their victory at the Maracanã was their first penalty shootout success in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, having lost all four previous attempts, three against Brazilian opposition. Their last shootout victory in a CONMEBOL competition had come at a familiar venue: in the 2014 CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16, they eliminated Peñarol on penalties at the Estadio Centenario.
The Montevideo stadium is no stranger to Finals decided in this fashion. In 1977, it hosted the deciding match between Boca and Cruzeiro, which ended in a 5-4 penalty shootout victory for the Argentinian side, sealed by Hugo Gatti's save from Vanderlei. Forty-nine years later, Carlos Miguel and Muslera will arrive at the same venue with their shootout heroics from this edition as their calling cards. For the Uruguayan, it will also be a homecoming: "It will be wonderful to return home and play the final at another temple of football, the Estadio Centenario."
