Botafogo secure victory over Guarani in first leg
In an intense Copa Sudamericana clash, Botafogo overcame a scare to secure a crucial win over Guaraní in the first leg of their last-16 tie. The match began with a surprising goal from Romeo Benítez, putting the visitors ahead. Despite Botafogo’s attempts to equalize, they struggled to find their rhythm, with a long-range shot from Marlon Freitas hitting the crossbar and Guaraní goalkeeper Muñoz making crucial saves.
However, Botafogo stepped up their efforts in the second half, with a well-placed goal from Hugo finally leveling the score. The momentum shifted in favor of the Botafogo players, who began to press more, and their determination paid off when Tiquinho Soares masterfully converted a penalty conceded by Júnior Santos, securing the comeback for Bruno Lage’s side.
While Guaraní threatened with counter-attacks and almost scored a second goal through Camacho, the shot was disallowed for offside. Botafogo’s resilience, coupled with Muñoz’s heroic performance in the Guaraní goal, made for an exciting game. With the hard-fought 2-1 win, Botafogo now have the advantage going into the second leg at Defensores del Chaco next Wednesday.
Estudiantes dominate Goiás with 3-0 win
Playing at the Estadio UNO in La Plata, the Argentinian hosts showed their control of the match, establishing a comfortable lead going into the second leg. Throughout the match, Estudiantes kept possession for longer periods, exploiting medium-distance shots as a valuable weapon against Goiás’ well-composed defense. The team created several chances, with Mauro Méndez and Benjamin Rollheiser coming close to scoring, but Goiás goalkeeper Tadeu made some decisive saves.
The match took a significant turn in the 47th minute when Goiás were reduced to ten men after Bruno Santos was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on Tadeu. Estudiantes took advantage of their numerical advantage and, within a few minutes, Guido Carrillo hit the target, escaping his marker to score against the helpless Tadeu.
With Goiás struggling to cope with Estudiantes’ volume of play, Rollheiser struck again, finding the back of the net with a well-placed shot that left the visitors stunned. Despite their efforts to keep possession and the match at a lower temperature, Goiás were unable to match Estudiantes’ dominance. In the final moments, Rollheiser sealed the victory for Estudiantes with a powerful shot, crowning an excellent attacking move that left the Goiás defense exposed.
In the second leg, scheduled for August 9 at the Estadio Serra Dourada, Goiás will need an exceptional comeback, as Estudiantes hold a dominant lead and are well placed to advance to the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana.