Author: Vishwajit Sawant
Artur’s brilliance propels Palmeiras to victory over Cerro Porteño
Palmeiras won a comfortable 3-0 victory over Cerro Porteño in their recent Libertadores clash in Asunción, Paraguay. The Brazilian team took control early on when Cerro Porteño’s Baéz was shown a yellow card, which was later changed to red after a VAR review. With the numerical advantage, Palmeiras seized the opportunity and Zé Rafael played a pass to Rony, who ended his 11-game goal drought, and Artur scored a fine goal to put the visitors ahead.
Although Palmeiras dominated possession, they struggled to break through Cerro Porteño’s resolute defense. Jean made an impressive save from Gómez’s shot, while Rony missed a surprisingly open goal. Arthur gave Palmeiras the lead 25 minutes into the second half and the team found its rhythm again. Rony, with a well-placed shot, provided the assist for Arthur to score his second goal of the match, increasing the lead to 3-0.
With all the substitutions made and Cerro Porteño reduced to ten men after a player was sent off for a violent act, Palmeiras controlled the game and looked to increase the goal difference even further. The win took Palmeiras to 9 points in Group C, securing second place behind Bolívar. The Brazilian side now only need a draw in their two remaining games to secure a place in the last 16, while Cerro Porteño face a more challenging task of winning both games and relying on other results to advance.
Flamengo stumble with a disappointing draw against Ñublense, which puts a damper on their hopes of topping the Libertadores Group
Flamengo’s hopes of securing top spot in Group A of the Libertadores were dealt a severe blow when they drew 1-1 with Ñublense in Concepción, Chile.
The match showed a lacklustre performance from Flamengo, with moments of inattention, while Ñublense took advantage of the few opportunities they had. Gabigol opened the scoring for Flamengo in the 31st minute. But Flamengo were unable to double their lead due to a lack of chances.
But Henríquez equalized for Ñublense in the 72nd minute. The home side dominated the second half, but failed to score the winning goal. With five points, Flamengo now have the difficult task of beating Racing and Aucas in their next games, as well as hoping for an upset by the Argentinian side, if they want to secure first place. Ñublense, on the other hand, are still in the hunt for qualification and a place in the South American competition.
Corinthians miss chance and draw with Argentinos Juniors, hanging by a thread in Libertadores
Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s winning streak continued and Corinthians were held to a goalless draw by Argentinos Juniors in the fourth round of the Copa Libertadores group stage. The match, played at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, saw Paulinho injured in the first half and Argentinos Juniors playing a man down for the final 20 minutes.
As expected, Argentinos Juniors dominated possession at the start of the game, while Corinthians struggled to break out of their defensive stance. Timão’s best chance came in the 17th minute, but the shot sailed over the goal. With Paulinho gone, Argentinos Juniors gained momentum and came close to scoring through an unfortunate mistake by the defense. The second half followed the same pattern, with Corinthians finding it difficult to get forward and Argentinos Juniors maintaining control. The intensity of the match increased towards the end, with Argentinos Juniors down to ten men. However, Corinthians failed to take advantage of their lead and posed no real threat to the opposing goalkeeper. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Argentinos Juniors had a promising chance that narrowly missed the target.
With the draw, Corinthians reached four points in Group E, tied with Liverpool-URU but behind on goal difference, while Argentinos Juniors maintained their lead with eight points and Independiente del Valle secured second place with six points.
Corinthians’ next Libertadores match is a crucial away game against Independiente del Valle on June 7. Before that, the team will be trying to get out of the Brasileirão relegation zone when they host Fluminense at the Arena Neo Química on Sunday.
Deportivo Pereira beat Boca Juniors 1-0
Deportivo Pereira caused a major upset on Wednesday by securing a 1-0 win over Boca Juniors in the fourth round of the Copa Libertadores.
The match, played at the Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas in Colombia, saw both teams start on an even keel, with few clear chances on goal. Despite Boca Juniors dominating possession, Deportivo Pereira stood firm in defence and tried to capitalize on counter-attacks. Deportivo had a penalty in the 77th minute, but Juan Zuluaga’s attempt was saved by goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
The turning point finally came in the 78th minute, when Arley Rodríguez showed excellent anticipation and headed home a cross from Bocanegra, leaving Boca Juniors goalkeeper Romero helpless. With this unexpected result, Deportivo Pereira secured three vital points. They are level on points with Boca Juniors on 7 points and are now separated by goal difference.
Liverpool UY secure 1-0 win over Independiente del Valle
Liverpool UY emerged victorious from a fierce encounter against Independiente del Valle, securing a narrow 1-0 win in the fourth round of the Copa Libertadores at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The only goal of the game was scored in the 65th minute by Rubén Betancourt, who netted to give Liverpool UY the lead. Before that, in the first half, Independiente del Valle’s task became even more challenging when Moises Ramírez received a red card in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. The player received a yellow, but the card turned red after the VAR intervened.
Despite being outnumbered, Independiente del Valle fought hard but failed to score an equalizer and ended up being beaten by Liverpool UY. Independiente del Valle remain second in Group E with 6 points, while Liverpool UY are bottom with 4 points.
Atlético Nacional secure victory with late goal, beating Melgar 1-0
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Atlético Nacional emerged victorious from a tough battle with Melgar, winning 1-0 in their Copa Libertadores fourth-round match at the Estadio Monumental de la UNSA.
The first half was lacklustre, with both teams struggling to create chances. Melgar had most of the ball and created a few chances, but couldn’t convert them. The match took an unexpected turn in the 50th minute when Melgar’s Jhon Solis was shown a straight red card, leaving his team a man down.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Melgar defended resolutely to keep the score level. However, in the 88th minute, Atlético Nacional managed to recover through Danovis Banguero, who scored the crucial goal that sealed his team’s victory. The result saw Atlético Nacional advance in their Libertadores campaign, while Melgar suffered a disappointing defeat at home.