In São Paulo, the Libertadores quarter-final turned on two late moments: Alexis Castro’s finish for Estudiantes de La Plata and Memphis Depay’s missed penalty at the death for Corinthians. The 1-0 second-leg win sent the Argentine side through to the semi-finals, with Castro having supplied the decisive contribution in each match of the tie.
Castro decides a tense Brazilian night
- In the first leg in La Plata, Castro gave Estudiantes the lead before Corinthians recovered for a 1-1 draw.
- The return in São Paulo remained finely balanced until the closing minutes, when the Estudiantes midfielder found the net to put the visitors ahead.
- Corinthians were handed a final opportunity from the penalty spot, but Depay failed to convert in the last minute.
- Estudiantes held on for a 1-0 win away from home and progressed to the Libertadores semi-finals.
Castro was named Hero of the Match after a tie in which his two goals proved the difference. Estudiantes now stand three matches from lifting South America’s biggest club prize.
A football family and a winding route to La Plata
The midfielder’s connection to the game began at home. He is the son of Fernando Castro, a forward who played for River Plate and Racing in the 1990s, and the nephew of José “Pepe” Castro, another striker who won the Copa Libertadores with Argentinos Juniors in 1985.
His first football lessons came at Estrella de Maldonado, before he joined San Lorenzo’s youth system. San Lorenzo eventually released him, and his uncle helped steer him towards Tigre, where he made his name in Argentina’s top division.
Strong performances brought him back to San Lorenzo, who bought his rights, but the expected breakthrough did not arrive. Loan spells followed at Defensa y Justicia, Mexico’s Tijuana and Colón de Santa Fe.
At Colón, Castro formed an important bond with coach Eduardo Domínguez. Together they won the Copa de la Liga in 2021, and that relationship would later shape the player’s route to Estudiantes and this Libertadores run.
National revival opened the Estudiantes door
Castro returned to Tigre in search of renewed form, but the move did not bring the revival he wanted. He then crossed the Río de la Plata to join Nacional in Uruguay, where his fortunes changed.
Across more than 40 appearances for Nacional, he scored eight goals and created six more. Those figures caught the attention of Domínguez, who moved quickly to bring him to Estudiantes.
In La Plata, Castro helped the club claim two domestic trophies in 2025: the Torneo Clausura and the Trofeo de Campeones. This season marks his fourth Libertadores campaign and his second with Estudiantes, but the quarter-final against Corinthians has provided the defining chapter so far.
From a goal at home in La Plata to the winner in São Paulo, Castro has carried Estudiantes into the final four of the continent’s competition.
