Lanús became the flag bearer for Argentine football in international club competitions this Thursday, defeating Universidad de Chile 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Copa Sudamericana final. They are now the only non-Brazilian team in either the Copa Libertadores or Sudamericana finals.
Lanús and the Chilean squad reached the semifinal second leg after a hardfought 2-2 draw. Playing at home, Lanús had the upperhand but required a win to secure a spot in the final. It was striker Rodrigo Castillo who broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute to send his team to the final.
The match proved a controversial affair, as VAR was called upon to review actions twice, ruling out goals by Marcelino Moreno for Lanús and Felipe Salomoni for Universidad de Chile.
With the win, Lanús has now reached the third Conmebol Sudamericana final in its history, where it has a 1-1 record. In 2013, they beat Brazil’s Ponte Preta and fell to fellow Argentine squad Defensa y Justicia in 2020. They’ll now face another Brazilian side in Atletico Mineiro, led by former Argentina national team head coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Argentine clubs slipping in the international sphere Lanús’ win provides a silver lining for what has been a harsh year for Argentine clubs in international competitions.
Racing Club’s defeat at the hands of Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores means there will be an all-Brazilian final in South America’s premiere football competition for a second straight year, and the fifth in the last six years with no Argentine representation.
In the 2025 tournament, four out of six Argentine clubs cleared the group stages, with River Plate, Racing Club, Vélez Sarsfield, and Estudiantes moving to the knockout stages, but failing to make it further than the semis.
It was a similar story in the Copa Sudamericana, where four out of six made it into the knockout stages — namely, Independiente, Huracán, Godoy Cruz and Lanús — with a fifth, Central Cordoba, arriving via the Copa Libertadores third-place playoff spot. However, only Lanús made it past the Round of 16.Independiente was disqualified from the competition in the aftermath of a violent brawl that erupted in the second game of their matchup with Universidad de Chile, which led to two Chilean fans being hospitalized.
