Estudiantes de La Plata is back among South American soccer's final four for the first time since 2009 after stunning Corinthians 1-0 on the road Wednesday night, riding a late strike from Alexis Castro and a missed penalty from Dutch star Memphis Depay in the dying seconds at Neo Química Arena.

Castro settled the quarterfinal tie by meeting a cross from Tomás Palacios with a first-time left-footed volley, beating Corinthians goalkeeper Hugo Souza to complete a dramatic comeback for the visitors after the sides had drawn 1-1 in the first leg in La Plata — a match in which Castro also scored. The goal made it 2-1 to Estudiantes on aggregate and effectively ended Corinthians' hopes, according to match reports from Infobae and La Nación.

Corinthians nearly forced extra time anyway. Deep into stoppage time, VAR flagged a handball by defender Leandro González Pírez inside the box that the referee had missed live, awarding the hosts a last-gasp penalty. Depay, brought in for exactly that kind of moment, stepped up in the sixth minute of added time — and sent his shot sailing over the crossbar, confirming Estudiantes' passage on the spot.

Ending a long wait

The result marks Estudiantes' return to a Copa Libertadores semifinal for the first time in 17 years, a drought that had spanned multiple coaching changes and rebuilds at the storied Argentine club. It's a significant marker for a side that had been eliminated in earlier knockout rounds in recent campaigns, and it keeps alive Argentina's push for a spot in December's final.

Castro, a 23-year-old midfielder who has emerged as Estudiantes' breakout performer of the tournament, could barely speak after the final whistle. "I don't know what to say, I'm speechless," he said, according to a report from El Día. "I spent it crying — I'm a sensitive guy."

"No sé qué decir, estoy sin palabras. Me la pasé llorando, soy un tipo sensible." — Alexis Castro

For Corinthians, the exit ends a campaign that had generated real hope of a first Libertadores crown since 2012, with Depay's off-target penalty likely to dominate the post-mortem in Brazilian media for days.

Estudiantes now awaits its semifinal opponent, with Flamengo holding a commanding 2-0 aggregate lead over Independiente del Valle heading into Thursday's second leg at the Maracanã. Whoever advances will face an Estudiantes side that has already proven, twice in one week, it can win ugly and win late.