Author: Vishwajit Sawant
Racing Club and Flamengo draw 1-1
Flamengo and Racing Club drew 1-1 in their Group A clash.
Gabriel Hauche (26′), the Argentinian striker, was sent off for Racing Club midway through the first half after receiving two yellow cards in just one minute. Flamengo then dominated the game and got their reward when Gabriel Barbosa (45’+3′) put the Brazilian side ahead in first-half stoppage time.
Flamengo had 75% of the possession throughout the second half, but were unable to define the match, as they had no shots on goal. In the 71st minute, the Flamengo right-back was sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Racing Club seized the opportunity and Nicolas Oroz scored in the 73rd minute to level the match. Flamengo coach Jorge Sampaoli’s frustration increased when he was also shown a yellow card for arguing on the sideline.
Despite the draw, both teams remain in a good position to advance to the knockout stage of the competition, with Racing Club leading the way on 7 points and Flamengo on 4 points.
Athletico-PR beat Libertad
Brazilian side Athletico-PR came out on top with a 2-1 victory over Liberta in Group G.
Libertad took the lead with an early goal from captain Óscar Cardozo in the 10th minute. Athletico-PR struggled to create chances in the first half, with only one shot on target. But Athletico-PR responded with two goals in the second half.
Luck changed for Athletico-PR when the coach made two changes at half-time. Rômulo equalized for the visitors in the 52nd minute, assisted by Pedro Henrique, while Alex Santana secured the win with a goal in the 65th minute, after being set up by David Terans. The second half was entertaining, with both teams sharing possession equally, looking to come away with the three points, but it was Athletico-PR who won the game. Captain and central defender Thiago Heleno went off injured in the 87th minute.
The result leaves Athletico-PR top of Group G with 7 points, while Libertad are bottom on goal difference.
Patronato scored 4 goals against Melgar
In a dominant display, Patronato beat Melgar 4-1 in their Group H match. Juan Cruz Esquivel was the star of the Argentinian team, scoring twice in the 4th and 70th minutes. Sergio Ojeda (59′) and Mateo Levato (86′) also contributed to Patronato’s score.
The peculiarity of Patronato’s victory was that they had less than 40% of the ball throughout the game. But Walter Otta’s team attacked their opponents on the counter-attack and, by the way, did it very well. Patronato had the edge in every other department, creating more chances and having more shots on goal (5).
Melgar, on the other hand, managed to score a consolation goal through Tomás Martínez in the 53rd minute, despite dominating much of the game. It could be said that the Peruvian team’s performance was below expectations, as they failed to trouble the opposing goalkeeper.
Patronato lost Nazareno Solis (68′) and Facundo Cobos (79′) to injury, while Paolo Reyna (28′) left the field injured for Melgar.
With this win, Patronato opened their account for the season and Melgar finished bottom of Group H with just one point.
Deportivo Pereira beat Monagas SC 2-1
In a very tight match, Deportivo Pereira beat Monagas SC 2-1. Deportivo Pereira got off to a good start with Carlos Ramirez converting a penalty in the 20th minute, before leaving the field injured in the 33rd minute.
It looked like the Colombian club would win the match comfortably, with a goal from Jimer Fory in the 41st minute doubling their lead. But with the constant efforts of the rejuvenated Monages SC after the break, they managed to pull one back with a goal from David Martinez in the 65th minute.
With the score at 2-1, the two coaches tinkered with the squad, making substitutions with the away team trying to turn things around. The home side, meanwhile, tried to close out the game. Despite a valiant effort from Monagas SC, they were unable to recover.