Latin America Sports Daily for Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Football

The most dramatic finish of the Brazilian state championship season arrived at the Jorjão in Novo Horizonte. Novorizontino, the competition’s best overall campaign, eliminated Neymar‘s Santos 2–1 on a Léo Naldi header in the 95th minute — literally the last kick of the match. Rômulo had opened the scoring in first-half injury time after Neymar himself lost possession in a sloppy buildup near his own defense, with Tavinho robbing the ball and feeding the unmarked midfielder. Santos equalized through Gabriel Bontempo at 64 minutes after a fumbled save, but when penalties looked inevitable, Vinícius Paiva produced a brilliant run down the left and crossed for Naldi to head home from the six-yard box. Neymar was largely anonymous — ESPN Brasil described his performance as “apagado” (invisible) — and Santos now pivots to the Brasileirão, hosting Vasco on Thursday.

Football

At the Canindé, Corinthians survived an exhausting night against Portuguesa to advance 8–7 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Goalkeeper Hugo Souza was the story — he saved a first-half penalty before Portuguesa opened the scoring through Zé Vitor at 37 minutes. Corinthians’ equalizer came deep in stoppage time via Vitinho, and Hugo Souza then saved two more penalties in the shootout, including the decisive final kick from Cauari. With Saturday’s results (São Paulo 2–1 Bragantino, Palmeiras 4–0 Capivariano), the Paulistão semifinal bracket is now set: Novorizontino vs Corinthians and Palmeiras vs São Paulo in the Choque-Rei. Both are single-leg ties next weekend, with Novorizontino and Palmeiras hosting as the top two overall campaigns.

Football

Flamengo turned a dismal first half into a dominant second to beat Madureira 3–0 at the Maracanã in the first leg of the Carioca semifinal. The crowd jeered the players at halftime after a scoreless 45 minutes lacking creativity. But Filipe Luís’s side found another gear after the break: Nicolás De La Cruz opened the scoring on 53 minutes, Giorgian De Arrascaeta converted a penalty on 63 minutes to reach his 100th goal in a Flamengo shirt — becoming the first foreign player to reach the milestone — and Luiz Araújo sealed it at 85 minutes. The second leg is March 2 at the Maracanã. Madureira need to win by four or more to force the aggregate level.

Football

Fluminense won the Clássico dos Gigantes 1–0 at the Nilton Santos in the other Carioca semifinal first leg, despite having Facundo Bernal sent off midway through the second half. Kevin Serna scored the only goal on 31 minutes, finishing first-time after a set-piece routine — Bernal headed down from a corner and the Colombian winger struck across goal past Léo Jardim. The match was fiery: coach Luís Zubeldía was himself shown a straight red on 23 minutes for invading the pitch to protest a decision. Vasco failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage, and the result proved fatal for Fernando Diniz, who was sacked Sunday night after a 56-match second spell (17W 16D 23L). The second leg is March 1 at the Maracanã, where Fluminense need only a draw to advance.

Football

The headline match of Liga MX Jornada 7 delivered an instant classic. Cruz Azul beat Chivas 2–1 at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc to hand Guadalajara their first defeat of the Clausura 2026. Uruguayan striker Gabriel “Toro” Fernández opened the scoring at 33 minutes with a textbook header from an Agustín Palavecino free kick — his sixth career goal against Chivas, more than against any other Liga MX club. Ángel Sepúlveda equalized at 81 minutes for the Rebaño, heading in a cross against his former club but declining to celebrate. The joy lasted three minutes: Palavecino delivered another precision set piece from a corner and Charly Rodríguez rose unmarked to head the winner at 84 minutes. Both Cruz Azul goals came from Palavecino deliveries — a masterclass in dead-ball efficiency.

Football

Beyond Cruz Azul-Chivas, Jornada 7 produced fireworks across Mexico. Toluca hammered Necaxa 3–0, with Brazilian striker Paulinho scoring a brace and Fede Pereira adding a late third — the Diablos Rojos remain unbeaten and climb to fourth. Atlas staged a sensational comeback, rallying from 2–0 down at Atlético San Luis to win 3–2. Colombian forward Álvaro Angulo scored both goals as Pumas beat Monterrey 2–0 to leap into third place. On Friday, Pachuca came from behind to beat Tigres 2–1 with Salomón Rondón heading the equaliser, and América routed Puebla 4–0 with Brazilian midfielder Raphael Veiga netting his first Liga MX goal. León beat Santos Laguna 2–1, leaving the Laguneros bottom with one point from seven matches. Querétaro vs Juárez was postponed due to security concerns.

Tennis

The Rio Open wrapped up Sunday with two feel-good finals. Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry came from a set down to beat Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 3–6, 7–6(3), 6–4 for his first ATP 500 title — a South American taking the crown at South America’s biggest tennis event. But the emotional highlight came in the doubles, where 19-year-old João Fonseca and 42-year-old Marcelo Melo won the title as an all-Brazilian pair, rallying from a set down to beat Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase 4–6, 6–3, [10–8]. Fonseca sealed it with a pre-planned ace on match point — a shot he had arranged with his coach before the tournament even began. Fonseca became the youngest doubles champion at an ATP 500 event since Roger Federer in 2001, while Melo, 23 years his senior, clinched his 41st career title. Andre Agassi presented the trophy.

Football

A reminder that the continent’s first silverware of 2026 is still in play. Lanús secured a 1–0 first-leg advantage over Flamengo last Thursday at the Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, with Rodrigo Castillo scoring in the 77th minute after having two earlier goals disallowed. Despite Flamengo dominating possession at 65%, they managed just a single shot on target against a disciplined Argentine rearguard. The second leg is Thursday at the Maracanã, where over 50,000 tickets have already been sold. Flamengo will expect their star-studded squad — featuring Arrascaeta, Paquetá, and Pedro — to deliver on home soil, but Lanús showed in Buenos Aires that their Copa Sudamericana-winning mentality is very much intact.

Baseball

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is ten days from first pitch. Pool play opens March 5 in Tokyo and March 6 at San Juan, Houston, and Miami. Latin American representation is massive: the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and Nicaragua all have spots in the 20-team field. Pool A in San Juan features Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, Canada, and Colombia. Pool B in Houston includes the United States, Mexico, Great Britain, Brazil, and Italy — marking Brazil’s first WBC since 2013 after winning their qualifying tournament in Tucson. The Dominican Republic anchors Pool D in Miami alongside Venezuela, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Israel. Storylines to watch include Venezuela’s revenge tour after their heartbreaking 2023 quarterfinal exit and a loaded DR squad.

Preview

A massive week lies ahead. The Argentine Apertura Fecha 7 launches today with three matches: Platense vs Defensa y Justicia, San Lorenzo vs Instituto, and Central Córdoba vs Talleres. Flamengo host Lanús on Thursday in the Recopa Sudamericana second leg, needing to overturn a 1–0 deficit at the Maracanã. The Brasileirão Série A rolls through midweek — highlights include Fluminense at Palmeiras (Wednesday) and Vasco at Santos (Thursday). In Mexico, Liga MX Jornada 8 features a blockbuster Saturday: Toluca vs Chivas, Monterrey vs Cruz Azul, and América vs Tigres — potentially the best day of Liga MX all season. The Paulistão semifinals are penciled for next weekend: Palmeiras vs São Paulo and Novorizontino vs Corinthians, both single-leg ties. ATP Acapulco runs through Saturday.