Palmeiras Vs Flamengo [0–1] – Copa Libertadores Final 2025: How Filipe Luís Tactics Overcame Abel Ferreira – Tactical Analysis

The 2025 Copa Libertadores Final crowned Flamengo as four-time continental champions after defeating Palmeiras 1–0 at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, a match that encapsulated the current challenges of South American football: strategy, spatial control and defensive pragmatism.

Both teams, two footballing and economic powerhouses of the continent, arrived with strong credentials: Palmeiras after a historic comeback in the semi-finals against LDU; Flamengo after overcoming Racing and Estudiantes with composure on their path to the final.

Pre-match expectations revolved around the possibility of an offensive football spectacle, individual talent and territorial dominance; a final worthy of its stature.

However, what unfolded was a tactical and density-based battle: a match locked in the middle third, where every inch of space had to be earned and protected like a fortress.

In that context, the final became a clash of structures in which collective discipline prevailed over individual brilliance.

Against that backdrop, the analysis of what happened on the pitch reveals more than a goal: it exposes the logic of control, pressure and density that defined Flamengo’s triumph, and consolidates their continental dominance in this decade.

This 2025 Copa Libertadores Final tactical analysis breaks down some of Filipe Luís tactics that tilted this clash in favour of his side and away from Abel Ferreiras Palmeiras.

Flamengo Density, Mid-Block & The Logic of Even–Odd Jumps

Flamengo approached the final with a clear conviction: neutralise Palmeiras’ interior build-up and force the match into a territory where they could control distances, tempos and directions.

The 4-4-2 mid-block was not just a defensive posture but a mechanism of orientation: the structure was designed so that every opposition pass had a predictable destination: the wings, where Flamengo trusted their ability to isolate, compress and recover.

The guiding principle was midfield density.

Flamengo did not seek uncontrolled pressing or to settle permanently in the opponent’s half; instead, they aimed to compress the space between lines, always keeping a nucleus of six players capable of steering the play outward.