Benzema comments on conversation with Vini Jr, ex-Flamengo, and rules out retirement

Flamengo began selling tickets this Wednesday (17) for the second leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals against Estudiantes at the Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium in La Plata (ARG). Tickets are available exclusively on the club's official platform : ingressos.flamengo.com.br .

Tickets will be sold in phases, according to the fan membership plans. The first group served is the Nation Without Borders group, aimed at fans from outside Rio de Janeiro, in addition to members of the Nação Maraca 1 (1-star) plan .

SALES SCHEDULE

• 17/09 – 2pm: Nation Without Borders / Maraca Nation 1 (1 star)
• 17/09 – 4pm: Maraca Nation 1
• 17/09 – 6pm: Maraca Nation 2 (2 stars)
• 17/09 – 8pm: Maraca Nation 2 (1 star)
• 18/09 – 10am: Maraca Nation 2 / Maraca Nation 3 (1 star)
• 18/09 – 12pm: Maraca Nation 3
• September 18th – 2:00 pm: General public online
• 21/09 – 10am: End of sales

VALUES

The visitor ticket costs R$250.96 . The price is made up of R$182.86 (ticket) + R$61.70 (Income Tax Withheld at Source – 33.33%) + R$6.40 (IOF – 3.5%). Fees are mandatory for international purchases.

The QR Code will only be available on the day of the match on the official Estudiantes website ( ticketing.estudiantesdelaplata.com ). To obtain it, you'll need to register using the same information you provided when purchasing : first name, last name, CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID), and email address.

FIRST GAME SOLD OUT

Before the duel in La Plata, Maracanã will already be full. All tickets for the first leg against Estudiantes, this Thursday (18), were sold two days in advance. More than 69,000 fans will be present, in what should be Flamengo's largest crowd in this edition of the Libertadores . The expectation is to repeat the performance of the round of 16, when the team eliminated Internacional with two wins and secured qualification by an aggregate score of 3-0.

Giorgian De Arrascaeta's desire to end his career at Flamengo is already known. Now, the Uruguayan midfielder is seeking to extend his contract with the club until the end of 2028. Currently, the parties have resumed talks to reach an agreement .

The information was released by UOL reporter Bruno Braz, who highlighted the optimism surrounding the negotiations: "I believe that, if it doesn't go exactly as Arrascaeta hoped, it will be very close. The trend is for a happy ending, with Arrascaeta renewing for a longer period ," the journalist stated.

PROGRESS OF NEGOTIATIONS

The first talks took place in early 2025, but they stalled. The player's initial intention was to renew mid-year , but the club preferred to postpone negotiations until the end of the season. The Uruguayan's current contract runs until December 2026.

NEXT GAME

While negotiating his renewal, Arrascaeta remains at Filipe Luís' disposal. Flamengo faces Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG) this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) , at Maracanã, for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals.

TRANSMISSION

The duel between Flamengo and Estudiantes will not be shown on free-to-air TV and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN (pay TV) and Disney+ (streaming), but fans will be kept up to date with all the details of the match on Gazeta do Urubu.

Coach Filipe Luís has been frequently associated with Jorge Jesus . This Tuesday (16), the current Al Nassr commander made a point of publicly praising his Brazilian compatriot in an interview with Canal Goat . According to the Portuguese, the relationship between the two goes beyond the field, marked by friendship, gratitude and a constant exchange of ideas about football.

Jorge Jesus on Flamengo's Filipe Luís: "I really believe in his growth"

"Besides being a friend, he's a grateful person, and there are people in football who forget things very easily. We continue to talk a lot. He's a coach just starting his career and has absorbed the knowledge of my way of working , and I strongly believe in his growth," said Jorge Jesus.

The Portuguese also highlighted Filipe Luís's personality and promising future: " He's learning; our early years are like that, just like mine . Now, I know he has a bright future; he will. He's a great friend. Filipe is a grateful friend, a great family man, and he'll be a great coach."

COMMON HISTORY

Filipe Luís and Jorge Jesus worked together in 2019, when the former full-back was a key player in Flamengo 's Libertadores and Brasileirão championship. During that time, the club also won the Recopa, the Supercopa do Brasil, and the Campeonato Carioca . The current Mengão coach acknowledges the Portuguese's influence on his career and admits to modeling himself on the former Flamengo manager's style:

"I can never compare past teams with my current team; they have completely different players. I can never compare myself to the coach I was in charge of at that time, Jorge Jesus. If he's not the best in history, he's one of the best to have played here at Flamengo . I'll never be like him, I'll never do anything like what he did," the coach declared.

FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAMES

Flamengo returns to the field this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, against Estudiantes (ARG) , for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. On Sunday (21), also at Maracanã, the red-black team faces Vasco, in a classic valid for the Brazilian Championship. In the first round, the teams drew goalless.