Lanús beat Universidad de Chile 1-0 in the Copa Sudamericana semifinal return leg, advancing to the final against Atlético Mineiro. The match ended in a brawl between players and drew Argentine media criticism for U's behavior and refereeing errors, including an uncalled handball by Eduardo Salvio. Azul Azul president Michael Clark questioned Venezuelan referee Alexis Herrera's decisions.
The match at Lanús stadium was tense from the start. In the fifth minute of the first half, Agustín Cardozo committed a hard foul on Javier Altamirano's knee, receiving only a yellow from referee Alexis Herrera, sparking controversy. The decisive goal came at the 17th minute of the second half: Marcelino Moreno assisted Rodrigo Castillo, who finished past the goalkeeper after leaving him behind. However, the play began with a clear handball by Eduardo Salvio, overlooked by Herrera on the field and by VAR on review.
After the final whistle, players from both teams engaged in pushes and punches on the pitch. ESPN's broadcast compared the incident to prior U episodes in the cup: “lo de la U de Chile en esta copa, adentro y afuera, con público y sin público. Realmente deberán tomar nota”. They added: “Por eso deberá controlarse. Un equipo tan grande como la U de Chile, esto no le puede pasar”. DSports was harsher: “U de Chile, un pésimo perdedor se tenía que haber ido. Hubo golpes, empujones. U de Chile tiene que ser sancionado”.
Argentine print media celebrated Lanús's advance, the country's only team in a continental final, but criticized the refereeing. Clarín noted: “en el inicio del contragolpe hubo una clara mano de Eduardo Salvio, pero el árbitro venezolano Alexis Herrera no la vio en campo y el VAR -increíblemente- tampoco en la revisión”. TyC agreed: “en el arranque de la jugada existió una clara mano de Eduardo Salvio”.
Michael Clark, Azul Azul president, lamented the elimination: “ya se jugó, ya se perdió, a la FIFA nomás y ahora mirar para adelante”. On the referee, he said: “el arbitraje no fue bueno. En mi opinión era más que amarilla al principio del partido (la patada contra Altamirano) y después en la mano creo que es bastante cobrable”.