Flamengo win at altitude in 2026 Libertadores opener 🎥

Flamengo win at altitude in 2026 Libertadores opener 🎥

Flamengo began their Libertadores title defense with three points earned at an altitude of 3,350 meters.

The reigning champions beat Cusco away from home 2-0 in the opening round of Group A of the tournament.

Bruno Henrique and Arrascaeta scored the goals, both in the second half.

In the other Group A match, Independiente Medellín and Estudiantes drew 1-1 in Colombia.

See the goals from the match below:

The match

Flamengo were the better side in the first half, spending more time in attack and creating more shots.

The Rubro-Negro had a good chance to make it 1-0 right at the start through Plata, who forced a fine save from goalkeeper Pedro Diaz.

Cusco relied on counterattacks and took a while to trouble Rossi’s goal.

The Peruvian side improved in the second half, but it was Flamengo who opened the scoring.

Ayrton Lucas lofted the ball into the box, and Bruno Henrique was well positioned to head it into the net.

Shortly after, in the 19th minute of the second half, Cusco thought they had scored through Ruidías, also with a header.

But the goal was ruled out after a long VAR review spotted an offside at the start of the move.

Deep into stoppage time, Flamengo took advantage of a counterattack to put the game to bed.

After the Cusco goalkeeper saved two shots in quick succession, Arrascaeta pounced on the rebound and headed the ball into the net.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.