Only one of the Libertadores 2026 quarterfinal matchups remained to be decided.
And it was up to Independiente del Valle to dispatch Deportes Tolima this Tuesday (25).
The Ecuadorian side will face Flamengo for a spot in the semifinals.
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After winning 1-0 away from home, Del Valle followed it up with a 3-1 victory in front of its fans at Estadio Banco Guayaquil.
Daykol Romero (59′) and Carlos González (70′) gave the home side a comfortable advantage.
Júnior Hernández pulled one back for the Colombian team with a stunning goal in the 84th minute.
And Perello scored the third for the qualified Del Valle (95′).
Only teams from 3️⃣ countries left — and ALTITUDE
Tolima’s elimination ensured Ecuador its second representative among the final eight.
There are four teams from Brazil, two from Argentina, and the Ecuadorian duo of LDU and Del Valle.
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The presence of those teams means altitude battles in Quito for Palmeiras and Flamengo.
Verdão will play the second leg with 2,850 meters of altitude as an “extra” opponent.
The same goes for Rubro-Negro, who will play the first match against Del Valle high up in the mountains.
Fla would also have had altitude ahead if Tolima had gone through. But it would have been only 1,285 meters above sea level.
A reunion in sight…
Flamengo and Del Valle have already faced each other on three different occasions.
Rubro-Negro won the 2020 Recopa after a draw in Ecuador and a 3-0 win at the Maracanã.
📸 Buda Mendes – 2020 Getty Images
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The rematch came in the same year in Libertadores Group A.
The Ecuadorian side thrashed Flamengo in Quito (5-0), and Fla got revenge in Rio (4-0).
Then came 2023 and another Recopa final.
But this time Independiente del Valle were crowned champions on penalties after each team won 1-0 at home.
📸 DOUGLAS SHINEIDR – AFP or licensors
Quarterfinal matchups 👇🏽
The teams on the left will host the second legs.
Conmebol will still confirm the dates and kickoff times.
What is certain is that the matches will be played on the 8th, 9th or 10th (first leg) and the 15th, 16th or 17th (second leg).
The matchups will be:
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🇧🇷 Corinthians 🆚 Estudiantes 🇦🇷
🇧🇷 Flamengo 🆚 Independiente del Valle 🇪🇨
🇪🇨 LDU 🆚 Palmeiras 🇧🇷
🇦🇷 Platense 🆚 Fluminense 🇧🇷
👀 Semifinals
Winner of Corinthians x Estudiantes 🆚 Winner of Flamengo x Independiente del Valle
Winner of LDU x Palmeiras 🆚 Winner of Platense x Fluminense
Matches will be played between October 14 and 22.
The one-off final will be on November 28.
Estadio Centenario in Montevideo will host it.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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