Cerro Porteño catch Santa Fe on finish line

Cerro Porteño have caught Santa Fe on the finish line to the round of 16 the past evening. In the last round of Group 8, Paraguay's champion of early 2015 beat the Colombians by a score of 1-0.

Goalscorer Alonso (#4) celebrates with his teammates. (Photo: Conmebol)

All Santa Fe needed in the legendary Estadio Defensores del Chaco was a draw, but they ended up making it impossible for themselves as bad discipline killed any chance of the current Copa Sudamericana champion. 

The game started off with a first chance for Cerro Porteño, when Junior Alonso fired a shot that was parried away for a corner by opposing goalkeeper Robinson Zapata. Not long after, Santa Fe went down to ten men only 20 minutes into the game. Leyvin Balanta had come up with his second clear yellow card and could not complain about the referee's decision. It was hardly a mean to help his away team reach their needed result in Asunción. 

Unsurprisingly, it was punished soon after by an aggressive, but disciplined enough Paraguayan side. Sadly for Santa Fe, bad came to worse and goalkeeper Zapata made an awful error, basically directing a cross from Junior Alonso into his own net. While Cerro had attacked well on the left wing, the end result left the visitors down disappointed. 1-0 after 34 minutes.

Finally, towards the end of the first half, the 10 Colombians tried to get on the offense a little. Now they needed a goal and Cristian Borja's cross found the foot of Baldomero Perlaza in the middle. The attempt of the young midfielder was saved comfortably though by Antony Silva. Going to halftime, it was Santa Fe that had it all to do in the next 45 minutes.

That was exactly what they tried coming out of the dressing rooms. Coach Gerardo Pelusso made a change that saw striker William Palacio come onto the pitch in the team's hopes to produce more danger up front. Through Luis Sejias, the guests collected their first shot of the second half, but he slipped during his attempt and had it go wide all the time. Shots from distance was a theme now, because both teams failed to get into the last third decisively and accordingly bemoaned a lack of quality scoring opportunities. 

At least until Luís Leal got by a defender with a decent move and fired a shot right at Zapata, who cleared it into the middle. Jonathan Santana had an empty Colombian net and put the chance wide. I cannot tell you how he did it. After an hour, Santa Fe hit the self destruction button for the second time tonight. Yerry Mina produced an incredibly dumb elbow to the head on Cerro's Guillermo Beltrán on the way to the corner flag. 

Despite their lackluster discipline, 9-men Santa Fe had two more huge chances to equalize in the game, firstly through Sergio Otalvaro. The right full-back had made his way down the pitch and suddenly was played through by his teammate and found himself all alone in front of Silva. Instead of shooting, he cut into the middle towards two defenders that made their way back until then. In the end, captain Carlos Bonet cleared the danger admirably. 

A second opportunity came from substitute William Palacio's head after a dangerous freekick had exposed Cerro Porteño's defense yet again. Antony Silva reacted quickly to clear the danger yet again. Logically, the home team received a lot of room to counter as the Colombians threw everything forward towards the end. Big chances from Jorge Rojas and Beltrán went begging though. It did not matter anymore, as the referee blew his full-time whistly without any further scary moment for the Paraguayans. 

Cerro Porteño win 1-0 and therefore advance to the round of 16 along with Corinthians, while Santa Fe have to watch the games from home. A little disappointing campaign for the Sudamericana holders that were surely hoping for more out of this relatively doable group.

Ángel Romero scored twice for Corinthians. (Photo: Conmebol)

Corinthians themselves ended the group stages with a fun outing against Cobresal. The poor Chileans got smacked 6-0 in São Paulo. 

Six goals were a little much to handle for Cobresal, who only celebrated their first three points a week ago against Cerro Porteño. Chile's champion was not even bad, but the Brazilian group winners just brutally effective. 

It did not take Corinthians long to build a two-goal lead on the night. Marlone made it 1-0 after just nine minutes with a powerful (and free) header following a corner, Ángel Romero struck four minutes later with a fantastic solo run, making countless defenders look silly in the process. 

In the stages after the two goals, Cobresal had quite a few chances to get back in the game, but were either denied by goalkeeper Cássio or could simply not finish themselves. Instead, after 39 minutes, it was Corinthians who struck for the third time, an absolutely amazing side volley from Marlone that you need to see below. Right on the stroke of halftime, Guilherme Arana's shot from distance added a fourth Brazilian goal to the mix.

The second half was relatively even until Corinthians decided to score another two in quick succession. Lovely team buildup and an even better finish into the near side high corner from Elías (75') made it 5-0, before Ángel Romero scored his second of the night (77') through converting a speedy low cross from the right.

Obviously, the Brazilians deserved their win last night and the fans got to see an exciting game with chances on both ends. Corinthians were dominating in chance usage.

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Boca take over group lead, River struggles continue

Aside from Grêmio's triumph over LDU Quito, there were five more games in the Copa Libertadores last night. Here is a summary of all of them. 

Nico Lodeiro after his late goal. (Photo: Conmebol)

Boca Juniors visited Racing Club in an all-Argentine duel. In front of Racing supporters who were in fine voice, a relatively even game developed. Both teams did not threaten their opponent's goal too much during the first half. Boca's best chance came through Carlos Tévez' shot into the side netting, while Racing had a penalty shout turned down by the referee Carlos Vera from Ecuador. First, Gustavo Bou was fouled by Pablo Pérez inside the area, only for the Boca man to handle the ball right after. The visitors were extremely lucky in this scene. 

As we went tied into the second half, Boca was the slightly better team and had further chances through Frank Fabra. The 25-year old Colombian played a fine game on the left side and advanced forward dangerously on multiple occasions, including an offside goal. Racing seemed to have accepted their point and did not commit too many men forward anymore. A mistake, as it turned out.

Fernando Gago played the ball out to the right side, finding the run of Cristian Pavón. His speedy cross was deflected on by Pablo Pérez' heel and found the foot of Nicolás Lodeiro. The Uruguayan midfielder could not miss from centimetres in front of the goalline and handed his team the victory after 84 minutes. 

Boca Juniors now lead Group 3 with 9 points, ahead of Racing's 8. Bolívar (4) follows and basically plays a must-win game against Deportivo Cali (2) tonight.

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Incredible games across South American leagues

When I looked through results of all the South American leagues to update the club ranking on Germancopa, I was amazed by what happened in multiple games. There were absolute goalfests in several leagues, so I had to write a little post about it.

Gol, gol, gol, gol: Roberto Gamarra. (Photo: abc.com.py)

Two of those games were played over in Paraguay. Olimpia seemed to slowly but surely regain their form that makes them one of the top teams of the country. After slaughtering General Caballero 7-1 last week, they followed it up with a 6-0 victory over league leading Sol de América. Take a look yourself:

General Caballero seems to suffer from a general result crisis. After getting thrashed by Olimpia, they suffered a spectacular 3-7 loss to Deportivo Capiatá. In the process of that game, Capiatá's Roberto Gamarra scored four goals, including a natural hattrick to end the game after it was 3-4 for a short while. The 34-year old striker played for nine Paraguayan clubs already, but had a career game now.

Over in Colombia, in-form Atlético Nacional scored 7 as well. Against newly promoted Atlético Bucaramanga, that did not turn out to be particularly problematic. Andrés Ibarguen started the game off with a hattrick, while Guerra, Ruiz, Bocanegra and Quiñónes added another four in the second half. Since the defense was up to par as well, it ended 7-0. Surprisingly, it was Bucaramanga's first loss of the season, as they drew eight times previously. More of this type of action, please!

Santiago Wanderers relied on the goals from Carlos Muñoz on the weekend. (Photo: elepicentro.cl)

Let us take a look towards Chile's league together, where Santiago Wanderers and Universidad de Chile pulled off a fantastic show for the fans and viewers around the globe. Roberto Saldías had given Wanderers a 2-0 lead inside four minutes, but it was equalized through Leonardo Valencia and Sebastián Ubilla by halftime. The second 45 were striker territory. Carlos Muñoz struck three times inside 13 minutes to give the home team a 5-2 lead. They nearly lost it again towards the end, as Leonardo Valencia's second and Patricio Rubio's first goal set up an exciting last few minutes. 5-4 was the final score and most of all a big reason to watch Chilean football, if you do not already.

Finally, our #5 pick of the week goes to Bolivia. Jorge Wilstermann played Club Ciclón and it was a fun day up in the mountains. League leaders Wilstermann celebrated their sixth win of the season by beating their opponents 4-3 in a back and forth affair. Marcelo Bergese gave the hosts the lead after 11 minutes, but three more goals before the break saw the game tied 2-2 at halftime. Juan Vogliotto (68') thought his goal had given Ciclón all three points, but two late strikes from Óscar Diaz (86') and Marcelo Bergese's penalty (90') sealed the game for the favourites. Here are all the goals in video form:

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Uruguay top South American World Cup Qualification

Uruguay has taken over top spot of Conmebol's World Cup qualification group last night. After a 1-0 win over Peru, the first World Champion is on track on their way to Russia 2018.

Mauricio Victorino celebrates Uruguay's success. (All photos: Conmebol)

Uruguay hosted Peru at the Estadio Centenario with a chance to go top of the qualification group and they did just that. An Edinson Cavani goal in the 53rd minute was all it took to get by Claudio Pizarro and Co. 

Despite the relatively narrow margin of victory, Uruguay deserved their home win. They were the better team overall and could have scored more frequently in the first half but Alvaro Pereira saw his biggest chance, a header from short distance, get deflected against the crossbar. On the other side, it was Paulo Guerrero who stood wide open in front of Fernando Muslera's goal, only to be denied magnificently. 

As always, Uruguay's set pieces had huge danger potential, despite the absence of Atlético Madrid's centre-back duo Godín/Giménez. Players such as Coates stepped up and did managed their defensive duties in predominantly fine fashion. 

Finally, it was El Matador Cavani who gave his team the lead. Luis Suárez produced a wonderful assist right into the run of his striking partner. The PSG striker remained as cold as ice and fired it high into the net. 

The Copa América record champions had further chances to put the game to bed early on in the second half, but could not find another quality finish, as the likes of Carlos Sánchez and Edinson Cavani struggled to hit the target. It has to be concluded that Peru still is just not good enough to qualify for a World Cup tournament. Despite their best efforts last night, they lost deservedly and stand empty-handed yet again. 

Uruguay have 13 points in 1st, Peru are 8th with 4 points.

Man of the match: Carlos Bacca.

It was Ecuador, who led the Qualifiers before matchweek 6, but they really struggled for the first time by losing away to Colombia, 3-1. 

Colombia fully deserved their success, as they dominated their visitors as they pleased. Carlos Bacca scored twice (15', 67') and gave his squad a 3-0 lead along with Sebastian Perez' strike (48'). It was added time already when substitute Michael Arroyo cut into the 3-goal lead and gave his disappointing Ecuadorians at least something to cheer about.

The loss is not a big deal position wise as Ecuador are still 2nd with 13 points. Just their points advantage shrunk a lot over the last two matches. Instead, Colombia won twice and find themselves in 5th (the playoff position) with 10 points.

Lionel Messi celebrates his goal.

Over in Argentina, the World Cup runner-up celebrated a much needed three points against Bolivia. The guests were as bad as expected away from home and did not stand the slightest chance away in Córdoba. 

The goals were scored early on by River Plate's Gabriel Mercado (20') and a penalty from Leo Messi after half an hour. Argentina finished the match with 75% possession and 19-3 shots, which tells pretty much all the story of this game. 

Argentina go 3rd with 11 points, while Bolivia are 9th with 3. 

2 for 2: Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Pinilla both scored twice.

Chile produced a great comeback away to Venezuela, beating the hosts 4-1. 

Romulo Otero gave his Venezuelans another early lead after just nine minutes. But once more, his team could not hold onto it. Mauricio Pinilla took it on himself to turn the game around for the struggling Roja. He scored twice, one before halftime (33'), once after (52'). Arturo Vidal went on to do the same later on in his return from a yellow card suspension. Bayern's midfielder scored after 72 minutes and in added time to open up a 3-goal lead towards the end. 

Chile celebrate a very important win after their loss to Argentina and now sit 4th with 10 points. Venezuela fail to win again and remain last with just a single point.

Dani Alves strikes late to give Brazil a point.

Last but not least, it was Brazil's turn. The 5-time World Champion disappointed without the suspended Neymar away in Paraguay. 

The first half and some more minutes fully belonged to Paraguay who surprised Brazil with decent football and found an opener through yet another goal from Dario Lezcano (40'). When Edgar Benitez made it 2-0 right after the break (49'), it started to look very grim for Dunga's team. 

Finally, maybe an hour in, the visitors began to dominate the game and continued to produce a higher amount of chance, only to be rewarded very late. Ricardo Oliveira (79') and Dani Alves (90'+2) came to the rescue of a Brazilian side that still needs a lot of improvement ahead of the summer's Copa América. 

Brazil and Paraguay both have 9 points and sit in 6th and 7th, outside of a qualification spot.

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Last minute goal galore in South America

World Cup Qualification continued last night with matchweek 5 in South America. All teams aside from Brazil and Uruguay, who face each other tonight, were in action. Here is how it went for them.

Captain steps up: Colombia's goalscorer James Rodríguez.

It all started in the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, where Bolivia wanted to play out their altitude advantage (3600m above sea level) against Colombia, but failed to do so. Being down 0-2 at halftime through lovely goals from James Rodríguez (10') and Carlos Bacca (41'), Bolivia managed to fight back early in the second half.

Juan Arce converted a penalty (50'), before The Strongest' Copa Libertadores hero Alejandro Chumacero struck again, this time for his country. While Colombia felt to be disadvantaged by the referee in the buildup to the goal, the midfielder's strike was simply fantastic. Goalkeeper David Ospina, who made several big saves in the second half to keep his team in it, laid horizontally in the air and still did not have the slightest chance (63').

Bolivia kept pushing forward, but lacked a significant amount of precision towards the end. Instead, it was the visitors that stole all three points from this away game in the 92nd minute. Substitute Marlos Moreno assisted Edwin Cardona with a fantastic pass and the other substitute Cardona made no mistake and finished it into the bottom right corner.

A draw might have reflected this game a little better, but Bolivia did not pay the necessary attention right before the end. It is a big three away points for Colombia, whereas Bolivia cannot even build on their home advantage anymore, having lost 2 of 3 at the Hernando Siles.

Brace for his Albirroja: Dario Lezcano.

Over in Quito, Ecuador wanted to build on their outstanding start into the qualification campaign with a fifth win in as many games. They came close, but at the end, Paraguay snuck out a point in a 2-2 draw.

It all started well for the group leaders, when Enner Valencia gave the hosts a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Ecuador dominated throughout the game, but failed to make it count in a decisive manner. Instead, San Lorenzo's Néstor Ortigoza ripped open the defense with the pass of the game and after receiving the low cross from the left, all Dario Lezcano had to do was pushing it over the line (38').

A well played counter became Ecuador's problem yet again in the second half. Once more, they committed many men forward and Paraguay made the most of it through Lezcano for a second time. Ingolstadt's striker struggled a bit to get the ball under control, but his shot into the left hand corner was a great one (59').

Ecuador kept pushing and pushing and finally, after 92 minutes, found an equalizer. Subsitute Ángel Mena was played through by Christian Noboa and won his country a more than deserved point. Gustavo Quinteros' team continues to do well (13 points) and remains on top of South America after week 5. But well done to Paraguay too, who already have 8 points.

Winning goal: Ángel di María.

Argentina had previously struggled and only won a single game so far, but the return of captain Lionel Messi from injury sparked a 2-1 victory over Chile in the Copa América final revenge.

Chile had not lost at home since 2012 and it did not seem like they would anytime soon either after they took the lead inside 10 minutes. Felipe Gutiérrez' powerful header from a Fabián Orellana corner left Sergio Romero no chance whatsoever. Argentina was under a lot of pressure right after the goal, only to profit from Chile's injury struggles in the following scenes.

Mati Fernández had to go off after just 7 minutes and when Marcelo Díaz received treatment, Kun Agüero and Éver Banega worked themselves into the penalty area. The ball fell onto the foot of Ángel di María and he produced a sweet finish into the far corner (19').

Five minutes later, when Chile was still trying to get organized after two early injuries, Argentina struck again. Nicolás Otamendi headed the ball towards Messi who just got his foot to it and found River's full back Gabriel Mercado. In his third game for Argentina, Mercado scored his first goal with a turnaround shot (24').

The Chileans started well into the second half and it did not take long for Alexis Sánchez to have the best chance of the game, only to see it go wide. Another time, Orellana was denied by Romero, but in general, it was Argentina who came closer to a third goal now by exposing the spaces Chile had to leave them inevitably.

La Roja tried their best, but Argentina's defense just stood solid and did not give up any huge chances anymore. The visitors ended up celebrating big three points away from Santiago. It gives them 8 in the campaign and things are starting to look a little brighter for Gerardo Martino's men. Chile have just 7 points so far.

Late hero: Raúl Ruidíaz. (All photos: conmebol.com)

If late comebacks were a theme yesterday, Peru were a big part of it as well. In the 94th minute, the Peruvians completed a comeback at home against Venezuela that gave them at least one point in a 2-2 draw.

It was Venezuela showing a bright start to the surprise of many, as their young team went to the break with a lead. Rómulo Otero scored from the spot (33') in a first half that saw Venezuela be the better team overall.

They continued pretty well in the second half and when Mikel Villanueva scored a second one after about an hour (57'), the visitors thought they might finally get to celebrate their first qualification win on the road to Russia 2018. Villanueva was first onto a Juanpi corner that went through everybody in the area and his bullet left goalkeeper Pedro Gallese no chance.

It was a substitution that changed the game completely after 60 minutes. Raúl Ruidíaz came on for oldstar Claudio Pizarro and inside a minute, Peru had life again. He laid the ball off on the edge of the area, finding Paulo Guerrero and the Flamengo striker profited of Alain Baroja's costly error. The 26-year old goalkeeper should have made that save without a doubt, but saw the strike go right through him.

Finally, in the 94th minute, Peru got their equalizer through who but Ruidíaz. The striker got his head on Edison Flores' lovely cross from the left and managed to win his team a point late. Peru had severely dominated ever since their first goal and really earned their fortune here.

Admittedly, a point does not help either team and it does not look good for Peru and Venezuela when it comes to their point total. Peru are in 8th with 4 points, Venezuela remain deadlast after winning their first point of the campaign.

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Chumacero saves The Strongest late against River

For a long time, it looked like River Plate could finally overcome the Argentine away curse in Bolivia. It was over 45 years that any Argentine side had won a game in the heights of La Paz and until added time, River had a one goal lead. They did not get it across the finish line.

Best man for River: Goalkeeper Barovero. (Photo: ole.com.ar)

In a game that saw The Strongest be the better team for larger parts, the visitors took the lead against the odds. Rodrigo Mora produced a fantastic improvised overhead kick finish after Ponzio's long forward ball. The Uruguayan striker in general had a fine game and was the focal point when River got forward. Several other opportunities throughout the 90 minutes went wide. The same can be said for his striking partners. Lucas Alario and Sebastián Driussi were all visible but lacked final precision. 

The biggest spotlight belonged to Marcelo Barovero though. River's goalkeeper saved his team multiple times and made winning points even possible. The Bolivians had 21 shots, 10 of them on target, 9 of them saved. Just that one at the very end went in. Alejandro Chumacero was fastest on the ball when noone else was in added time of the second half and banged it high into the net. 

To celebrate the draw, both teams lost a player to sending-offs. Rodrigo Ramallo was sent off for his second yellow on the home side, while River's Leonardo Ponzio followed him with a straight red. Table-wise, both can live with how things went. The Strongest are on top with 7 points, River Plate have 5. Not going through right now: São Paulo with 2 and Trujillanos with 1 point. 

Elsewhere in the Copa Libertadores

São Paulo could not come away with a victory away to Venezuela's Trujillanos. Despite being the better team for most of the 90 minutes, a missed penalty from Ganso proved decisive at the end of the day. Overall, Ganso had a good game though and equalized quickly (38'), two minutes after Rubén Rojas had given Trujillanos the lead. In their attempts to catch the top two sides, a point will not do for either of them. 

Colo Colo didn't do bad away at Atlético Mineiro. They still lost 3-0, mainly due to the Brazilians' efficiency. Goals from Juan Cazares (2'), Patric (45'+1) and Hyuri (73') were too much for Chile's best participant. It hurt them tremendously to not have striker Esteban Paredes available for this game. Atlético Mineiro are close to advancing from Group 5 with now 10 points. Independiente del Valle (7), Colo Colo (5) and Melgar (0) follow them.

Corinthians' goalscorer Lucca celebrates. (Photo: corinthians.com.br)

Last but not least, another Brazilian club was victorious last night. Corinthians beat group leading Cerro Porteño 2-0 at home and rightly so. Paraguay's champion could not recreate the form that gave them a surprising 3-2 win over the same opponent a week ago. Lucca scored during the first half (24'), an own goal in the second from Victor Mareco (61') sealed things in São Paulo. Corinthians are now top of Group 8 (9 points), ahead of Santa Fe (7), Cerro Porteño (7) and Cobresal (0).

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San Lorenzo miss first win, Santa Fe in form

After looking at Atlético Nacional's impressive performance against Peñarol (do so if you haven't yet), here is what else happened last evening and night in the Copa Libertadores.

Néstor Ortigoza after his early goal. (Photo: prohogar.com.py)

A very early and a very late goal wrote the story in the Nuevo Gasómetro. San Lorenzo's bid for their first Copa Libertadores win of the season ended in a 1-1 draw against Grêmio. Néstor Ortigoza gave the hosts the lead after just 4 minutes by converting a penalty. The Paraguayan midfielder was as sure as it gets from the spot. 

In the aftermath of the opening goal, both teams wasted huge chances. Geromel could have tied things up easily for the Brazilians but he slid it wide. On the other side, Martín Cauteruccio was all alone in front of the goal but was denied by Marcelo Grohe. The goalkeeper continued to deliver with an outstanding save on Blanco, laying in midair. Right before halftime, Blanco hit the post and San Lorenzo could not fire home the rebound in the middle. 

While the Argentine Libertadores winner from 2014 continued to be the slightly better side in the second half as well, they did not create as many chances anymore. Instead, Grêmio, who were not really existing offensively for large parts, equalized late in added time to silence the home crowd. It was substitute Lincoln that pounced on a loose ball after San Lorenzo had completely lost control at the back. 

Mexico's Toluca lead Group 6 with seven points. Grêmio have 5, San Lorenzo have 3. In last place are LDU Quito with 3 as well. Admittedly, Toluca and Quito still have to play their fourth game of the campaign, but will not do so until early April.

Jonatan Gómez celebrates his brace. (Photo: emol.com)

The second Colombian club in action last night, Santa Fe, won their game in convincing fashion as well. Against Cobresal, the Copa Sudamericana champion managed a clear 3-0. 

January signing Jonatan Gómez scored twice to get his team on track. A great low shot from distance hit the back of the net early on, just 8 minutes into the game. Cobresal had not been able to keep up in the Copa Libertadores so far and we saw the same picture today. Santa Fe dominated and outplayed their opponents from start to finish. Logical consequence was the second goal from Gómez shortly before halftime. Juan Daniel Roa had the ball on the right and gave it into the middle, where William Tesillo laid it back outside the area. Gómez fired home another well-placed shot from way out.

The second half belonged to the hosts in its entirety and after collecting an assist on Gómez' second, Tesillo got on the scoresheet himself in the 74th minute. His header from a Seijas corner could not be kept out by Leonel Cuerdo. It was the last goal of the night, which should put Santa Fe on top of Group 8 with seven points. They are followed by Cerro Porteño (7) and Corinthians (6). Cobresal, in their second ever participation, have none and are already eliminated after four matches.

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Independiente del Valle have celebrated their second Copa Libertadores win in a row against Melgar. The Ecuadorians won 2-0.

Twice, an quick start to each half was enough for Independiente del Valle to get by the Peruvian champions. Junior Sornoza scored in the 3rd minute, while José Angulo was successful 2 minutes into the second half. Sornoza opened the play for his second Libertadores goal of the season himself by laying it out to the right. Emiliano Tellechea found the run of his teammate in the middle and the 22-year old midfielder finished with a lovely side-foot volley.

The final goal was created by a hard shot from Bryan Cabezas. Melgar's goalkeeper Daniel Ferreyra could not make a good clearance and instead the ball bounced right onto substitute Angulo's foot who had lurked in the centre of the area. In the following minutes, Melgar tried a bit more offensively, until Independiente took the game over again after about an hour.

Certainly, Ecuador's representative deserved their win on the night as they were simply more awake when it mattered the most. Even shot- and possession-wise, they were the better team and it looks like Peru will experience the Round of 16 from the outside again. At least Melgar have waved goodbye to the competition already after not being able to collect a point in four matches.

Independiente del Valle lead Group 5 with 7 points, along with Atlético Mineiro (7). They are followed by Colo Colo with 5. Those two teams play against each other tonight and the winner moves into top spot.

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Boca find 96th minute equalizer, River draws again

The big guns from Buenos Aires were in action last night in the Copa Libertadores. Read about how they fared, as well as appearances from Colo Colo and LDU Quito.

After the goalless draw in the past weekend's Superclásico, Boca and River played their next games in the Copa Libertadores and they just had to come up with the same result again.

Erwin Saavedra scores the goal of the 2016 Libertadores season. (Photo: REUTERS/David Mercado)

Boca Juniors, on their visit to Bolívar, waited until the 96th minute to snatch a point from under the Bolivian players' noses. Federico Carrizo turned into the hero in added time by converting a direct freekick from far out with a fantastic shot. Bolívar's Romel Quiñónez could get one hand on it, but not keep it out.

Before, it was a lot of work for the Argentine visitors. Goalkeeper Agustín Orión was called upon to replicate his fine form from the Superclásico by saving his team from the dangerous Bolivian attacks on multiple occasions. Especially during the first half, Bolívar had the advantage in the feared Estadio Hernando Siles. Juan Arce, who scored a hattrick in the home team's previous outing against Deportivo Cali, had the biggest opportunity, but his header from an offside position hit the left post.

From another planet was the shot Erwin Saavedra came up with after 28 minutes. Boca just cleared the ball forward without much of a plan, leading to Nelson Cabrera's header into the opposite direction, precisely onto the foot of Saavedra. The Bolivian midfielder ran a meter or two and then fired a missile into the top left corner from about 30m out. Surely the goal of the week, maybe the season.

Fernando Gago could have equalized in the first half, but his wide open attempt from the edge of the penalty area went wide. The second 45 minutes were a bit more equal between the two teams with not too many quality chances on either side, until Carrizo won Boca a point with the last shot of the game.

In the table of Group 3, Bolívar (4) still remain ahead of Boca (3) in second place, as they are seperated by a point. But the Bolivians have to visit last night's opponent in their next match. Racing in first has 4 points, but played a game less. As did Deportivo Cali in last with one point.

Ganso makes it 0-1 for São Paulo (Photo: REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci)

In the Monumental, River Plate drew 1-1 with São Paulo. The match could never live up to the (probably too) high expectations, yet River could have led inside the opening minutes. Rodrigo Mora got to the ball first after some confusion in the area, but could only direct it against the crossbar.

Since Alario also squandered River Plate's next opportunity, São Paulo punished the defending champion in the 17th minute. The Argentines could not clear a set piece decisively and Ganso blasted a volley from the edge of the area into the back of the net for a relatively surprising Brazilian lead.

The equalizer 15 minutes later was a pretty funny looking goal, unless you are São Paulo of course. A corner from the left was whipped into the middle. Goalkeeper Dênis was first to it with his fists, only to hit his own man with the ball. From Thiago Mendes' foot, the ball deflected into the visitor's own net.

Former Boca striker Jonathan Calleri came closest to scoring the winning goal in the second half, but could not direct his flying volley on target. Very doubtful, whether Barovero could have saved that one. On the other end, the introductions from Andres D'Alessandro and Iván Alonso brought some fresh energy into River's XI, without producing THE ultimate chance. Centre-back Emanuel Mammana came closest with a with an attempt that did not really threaten Dênis' goal.

It stayed 1-1, which is a result that both teams can live well with considering the game we saw. The Strongest lead Group 1 with 6 points, two ahead of River. São Paulo only have 1 point, while Trujillanos have yet to gain any.

Should have scored: Martín Tonso wastes the biggest chance. (Photo: emol.com)

Colo Colo and Atlético Mineiro did not excite anyone with their goalless draw in Chile last night. Overall, the hosts were the better team and could have come away with the victory. In the 50th minute, Juan Delgado had the largest opportunity for the time being, breaking into the area on the left side, but firing his shot just wide of the far post.

Over on the other side, the experienced Justo Villar was not challenged a whole lot by the Brazilian visitors. What did come through to his goal, the 38-year old Paraguayan had under control. Mineiro threatened the most with a direct freekick that went wide though.

After 80 minutes, it was Martín Tonso who had the game on his foot, going in all alone, making two defenders look silly, but sadly shooting it over the crossbar. This was definitely a scene where the Chilean deserved better.

Got things going: Carlos Rodríguez scored for Toluca. (Photo: planoinformativo.com)

In Ecuador, LDU Quito suffered an unlucky defeat to Mexican side Toluca. Back home, Quito played a decent game despite their bad start to the domestic season. They still fell behind on the night thanks to a goal from Carlos Rodríguez three minutes before halftime. The 30-year old scored with a difficult header following a freekick from the left side of the area.

LDU Quito would get back even the same three minutes after halftime, when midfielder Fernando Hidalgo scored his first Copa Libertadores goal. Edson Puch lifted a long ball into the penalty area and all of the Mexicans jumped underneath the ball. Inevitably, it found its way through to Hidalgo who made no mistake.

The reason the Ecuadorians still didn't win has a name and that is Fernando Uribe. In the 85th minute, the Colombian striker produced the winning goal by outsprinting defender Luis Canga after a hopeful long pass from Christian Cueva. Goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez was without a chance.

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River wins big, Emelec wins first - Copa Libertadores

River Plate's title defense campaign is off to an outstanding start. Last night, Argentina's best international team of the recent years won 0-4 away to Trujillanos. 

 

Iván Alonso was in form last night. (Photo: @RiverPlatePho)

All four goals came in the second half that was thoroughly dominated by River. Leonardo Pisculichi via direct freekick (55'), Lucho González (63') and Iván Alonso twice (80' & 90'+1) scored the goals for the favourite. Back home in the Primera División, River Plate had a so-so start, but once more Marcelo Gallardo's men show they are seemingly born for international cup competitions. 

In fairness, Trujillanos did not have much to bring up against the Argentines. Venezuela's vice champion was out-possessed, outshot and simply outclassed in the second 45 minutes. Gallardo had even left players like Alario, Mora or Pity Martínez on the bench for a more experienced lineup with the likes of Lucho or Alonso. His XI worked and will go up against Sao Paulo next in March. 

River are top of the table, ahead of The Strongest, both with three points.

Victorious Emelec.

Emelec scored two late goals to get their first win of the 2016 Copa Libertadores against Deportivo Táchira. Emanuel Herrera (81', penalty) and Denis Stracqualursi (87') got the decisive goals for Ecuador's champion. In a game that was pretty even for the most part, the Venezuelans also suffered a sending-off for Carlos Lujano after 87 minutes.

Group 7 is being led by UNAM Pumas ahead of Emelec and Táchira, all with three points. Paraguay's Olimpia sits last with no points yet. Interesting side fact: So far, all 3 games that were played included red cards.

Jonathan Santana after his goal. (Photo: Studio Futbol)

Another Paraguayan team did a better job last night. Cerro Porteño were able to get a highly deserved 2-1 win over Cobresal. The Chileans never really set a foot into this game and still made things somewhat interesting. After Jonathan Santana (50') and Luís Leal (52') gave Cerro a two-goal lead with a quick double strike, Lino Maldonado cut it in half only 10 minutes later. 

Cerro Porteño now leads Group 8 with 4 points, one ahaed of Corinthians. They are followed by Santa Fe with 1 and Cobresal with 0.

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Racing find form, Colo Colo win - Copa Libertadores

De Paul scores for Racing. (Photo: Conmebol)

Four games were scheduled in the Copa Libertadores last night and compared to previous games, there were no surprises. Still, they are worth talking about. 

Argentina's Racing Club started in the season in dreadful fashion. Despite making it through the first Libertadores qualifying round, they stand at two points from four Primera División matches. Last night, Bolívar was welcome prey and found themselves at the back end of a 4-1. 

The Bolivian champions of Apertura and Clausura were down 0-3 in about half an hour after goals from Lisandro López, Roger Martínez and Rodrigo de Paul decided the game early. Particularly the first one from López is worth taking a look as he controlled the ball nicely before lobbing it over goalkeeper Romel Quiñónez. 

Martínez followed that strike up with an outstanding solo run that will probably also go into the books as one of the best goals in 2016. Bolívar did not defend too well and were ripped open by Óscar Romero's passes over and over.

Racing did not seem to be willing to stop in the second half either and continued to find their form tonight. Chance after chance and finally Lisandro López low ball found Marcos Acuña who just had to tap it in. Bolívar scored a late consolation goal through Juan Arce, but they will need to improve to have any sort of chance to make it into the round of 16. Here are the match highlights:

Carlos Tévez in a battle with Miguel Godoy. (Photo: Conmebol)

In their Group 3, Argentinian rivals and double winners Boca Juniors entered the competition a few hours after as well. All they managed was a goalless draw away to Deportivo Cali. Early on, star striker Carlos Tévez was extremely lucky to not be sent off for a clear kick in the direction of an opposing player.

Harold Preciado had the biggest chance of the first half, when he hit the post with a shot from the edge of the area for the Colombians. Just overall, also in the second half, Cali were not precise enough and failed to hit the target on multiple glorious occasions. Tonight, they could have beaten Boca who were not good and they know it. It is still a performance to build on considering the strong group they are in.

Esteban Paredes celebrates his decisive goal. (Photo: El Gráfico Chile)

In Chile, Colo Colo had their first home game of the 2016 Copa Libertadores campaign. Following last week's draw with Independiente del Valle, they showed themselves much improved and dominated Melgar from start to finish. The bottom line was a 1-0 victory. 

The strike that turned out golden was Esteban Paredes'. In the 65th minute, he was first to a rebound from about 6m out. Beausejour had found Martín Rodríguez whose shot Daniel Ferreyra could only clear into the middle. Not a good idea when a man like Paredes is standing there waiting for it. He scored his 16th Copa Libertadores goal in just 21 matches. An unbelievable rate, even for a striker.

One more game was played in Colo Colo's Group 5, between Atlético Mineiro and the already mentioned Independiente del Valle. Lucas Pratto scored the only goal of the game only four minutes in. He turned a cross from the right into the back of the net, making goalkeeper Librado Azcona look really bad, as he should have made that save. 

Overall, it was a deserved win for the Brazilians who had more of the game and the larger amount of clear cut chances. Additionally, Robinho made his Copa Libertadores comeback in the 56th minute, coming on as a substitute. Atlético Mineiro now lead the group with 6 points, followed by Colo Colo (4), Independiente del Valle (1) and Melgar (0).

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Pumas chase Emelec home - Copa Libertadores

Quick strike: Isamel Sosa from Pumas. (photo: elcomercio.com)

The second Mexican club in this year's Copa Libertadores has followed the example of the first one and won their opening match with 10 men. Pumas UNAM have beaten CS Emelec at home in a goalfest, 4-2.

It only took the iconic side from up north 17 seconds to get the first goal against their Ecuadorian visitors. Ismael Sosa was at the end of a cross to the far post and gave Pumas the lead before the last supporters had entered the stadium. Defender Nazareno had somehow missed his clearing header.

Despite being on the backfoot early on, Emelec found a way to equalise 18 minutes in. Angel Mena, just having scored for his team in the league last weekend, was quicker to the ball than Pumas' goalkeeper Alejandro Palacios on a defensive breakdown and chipped it into the back of the net. 

A draw, that should hold for about 5 minutes. The 7-time Mexican champion struck off a freekick from the left sideline. Luis Fuentes delivered into the middle and noone picked up the run of defender Darío Verón, who headed it home without too many problems. 

Emelec, after suffering the loss of their star striker Miler Bolaños to Grêmio, surprisingly did fine generating chances offensively. Sadly for the Ecuadorians, Palacios was up to the task and had a fine game. 

The second half was started by strong attacks from Pumas, who again and again were stopped by magnificent saves from Esteban Dreer. Until they were weakened by a red card in the 65th minute. Substitute David Cabrera was sent off after sliding into his opposing player, maybe a little bit harsh to give straight red though. Only two minutes afterwards, Emelec found the equaliser through another goal from Angel Mena, who displayed excellent control on two touches before finishing. 

10-men Pumas, instead of playing for the single point now, went for it themselves and got rewarded. Another set piece led to the fifth goal of the match. Quiñónez' corner was met by a textbook header from Gerardo Alcoba and the Mexicans had the lead back. A lead, which was doubled right after for the final score of 4-2. Byron Mina deflected the ball into his own net, with Quiñónez close by.

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Elsewhere, Colo Colo got an away draw at Independiente del Valle. Esteban Paredes gave the Chileans a 63rd minute lead, which was equalised shortly after by Jefferson Orejuela. Atlético Minero lead Group 5 with three points, ahead of Colo Colo and Ind. del Valle with one each. In last place, Melgar from Peru after their loss to the Brazilians

Peñarol started their quest for a sixth Libertadores title in weak fashion. In Peru, the Uruguayans were being dominated by Sporting Cristal and got lucky with a 1-1 draw. Luís Aguiar got the side from Montevideo on the scoreboard first (40th), levelled by Alberto Rodríguez after 75 minutes.

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Corinthians lucky late win, Toluca only need 10 - Copa Libertadores

Enrique Triverio, man of the match for Toluca. (photo: espn.cl)

Following The Strongest' sensational win over São Paulo yesterday evening, three other Brazilian sides entered the competition, with mixed success. 

Corinthians played in the Chilean desert, visiting Cobresal, champions of the 14/15 Clausura in their country. The whole affair was less than unspectacular, ending in heartbreak for Cobresal. After the regular 90 minutes were up already, Miguel Escalona deflected a cross from the right unluckily into his own goal. 

During the winter, the Brazilian champion had suffered a player exodus and it was quite uncertain, how they could perform this year. It looks like these worries were justified, as Cobresal was the better team in a weak game. Corinthians managed a total of one shot on target, even when you're in a desert, that's not good enough. 

Talking of desert, the scene of the match was probably when electricity failed the stadium in Chile and it went dark for several minutes.

Darkness: The game between Cobresal and Corinthians lacked floodlights.

Over in Peru, Atlético Mineiro survived an early shock and beat Melgar 1-2. The Peruvians took a 14th minute lead Omar Fernández, who banged home a rebound from right in front of the goalline. Mineiro, in their ninth Copa Libertadores season, needed just seven minutes to get even. Rafael Carioca equalised with a beautiful strike into the top corner. 

The fact that Patric added another one just before halftime was a bummer for the brave team from Peru, that went into the game as big outsiders. They tried everything to make it 2-2, were the better team in the last quarter of an hour, but could not find a way to make it count.

Despite Atlético Mineiro's win, they will need to improve, if they want to have a chance to compete for the title. Maybe newly signed Robinho will give them just that edge. 

Mexico celebrated the first success for Toluca. Despite playing with 10 men for nearly an hour due to Moisés Velasco's stupid punch into an opposing player's face, they managed to beat Grêmio 2-0 at home.  Enrique Triverio turned into the home crowd's hero, scoring both goals for his club. 

Firstly, in the 46th minute, he headed home a long cross from the left into the far post. Afterwards, the Mexican converted a penalty after 77 minutes to give his squad the victory. 

Throughout the game, Grêmio disappointed and were the worse team, even with a man advantage. Like this, they will have no chance to get out of the group that also includes San Lorenzo and LDU Quito.

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Your Football Weekend Plan

The weekend’s football is coming up after the international break and you want to know what you need to watch across South America? This overview is for you then.

(photo from Mirror UK)

Argentina could crown a new champion in the early hours of Monday morning (2.30 CET). Boca Juniors are visiting Racing Club and these are the scenarios that make them champions…

…Boca win and San Lorenzo only draw or lose in their away game against Olimpo (Sunday, 9.10pm CET).

…Boca draw and San Lorenzo loses. In addition, Rosario Central would not be allowed to gain more than one point in their match against Argentinos Juniors (Sunday, 9.10pm CET as well).

All Argentinian league games can be seen live on Fútbol Para Todos as usual.

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The Strongest and Jorge Wilstermann duel over in Bolivia. It’s the match between 1st and 3rd. It should be a good one, as those two are the only teams that have not lost a single game yet (Sunday, 11.15pm CET).

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Over to Brazil, where Flamengo await Internacional in a match between 8th and 9th. While you might now say “so what” as a neutral, this game is extremely important as fourth place is only 2 points away. The winner will be on an upwards trend (Sunday, 10pm CET).

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Colo Colo attempt to forget about the first loss they experienced two weeks ago. And the chances aren’t the worst: They host San Marcos, who actually won their last three league games, but the record champions are always another category. So if you like Chile’s league, set a reminder for Sunday evening (10.30pm CET).

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Fénix host Nacional (Saturday, 11pm CET) and Rentistas visit Peñarol in the Centenario (Sunday, 11pm CET). The Uruguayan title fight is in full flight and you can watch both of the favorites at convenient times. While both are expected to win, especially Nacional have not been the greatest away from home so far.

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10 in 10 – Weekend Roundup

New week, new category on Germancopa. This is a look at one top match from each South American league on the last weekend.

Argentina

Last night, San Lorenzo beat Racing Club in a path-breaking game 2-1 at home. After dominating possession especially in early parts of the match, Mauro Cetto gave the hosts a 20th minute lead. The rightback was there to clean up the mess right in front of the goal after a direct freekick from Cauteruccio hit the crossbar. Racing, who had left Diego Milito on the bench until it was too late, improved their game in the second half and had some more chances. The consequence was the tying goal from Iván Pillud in the 78th minute with a wonderful strike from distance through a crowd following a corner. Emanuel Mas did not like that a lot and made a commanding run forward shortly after, which ended in the winning goal. His tap-in after another assist from Cauteruccio went by goalkeeper Saja and keeps San Lorenzo close to table toppers Boca.

Bolivia

Bolivia’s game between 1 and 2 went to 2 as The Strongest celebrated a 1-2 away win against Sport Boys Warnes. A horrible defensive giveaway in the fourth minute led to the guest’s opening goal from Rodrigo Ramallo. Still, the Sport Boys kept on competing and finally in the 41st got a little lucky. Alejandro Morales’ shot was deflected into the bottom right corner for the equalizer. It paid back at the start of the second half on the other side though. An own goal header from Helmut Gutiérrez proved impossible to save for goalkeeper Carlos Lampe. The Strongest have taken over the lead in Bolivia’s Apertura table with this win, one point ahead of their weekend’s opponents.

Brazil

It was actually not easy to pick only one game here, but let’s go with the battle between the teams doing the chasing. Palmeiras hosted Grêmio and celebrated a 3-2 victory at Allianz Parque. A strong header from Vitor Hugo gave Palmeiras an early lead (7th) which they did not hold for too long though. Luan equalized with his 7th goal of the season after 20 minutes. Paraguayan international Lucas Barrios, this time a starter after his midweek 30 minute hattrick, paid back his coaches trust yet again. He headed home a cross in the 32nd minute after he was left pretty much wide open in the penalty area. In a game that was all about the offense, Palmeiras made it 3-1 early in the second half through Rafael Marques’ 7th league goal. Luan again, this time via penalty, could only make the scoreline a ted nicer for the visitors five minutes from the end. Grêmio stays 3rd, Palmeiras is the new 4th.

Chile

Did not see any club football action this weekend.

Ecuador

The traditional battle between Barcelona and Deportivo Cuenca ended in a 1-1 draw. The hosts were the clearly better team in front of a great crowd and had multiple chances to take (and later extent) the lead. It took them until the 52nd minute though until Ely Esterilla fired home a shot through a chaotic penalty area. After hitting the post with a freekick on top of things, they conceded the simplest and weakest way possible. A long kick from goalkeeper Ordóñez found the run of José Gutiérrez who slotted the ball into the bottom left corner (61st). Cuenca had finally arrived in the game now too and hit the post themselves shortly after. Still, all goals had gone in and it stayed 1-1 until the final whistle. Three teams now lead the league with 20 points each.

Colombia

Alianza Petrolera, who lead the Colombian table, have lost 2-1 away to Atlético Junior. Sadly I could not find any highlights of this game yet, so we’ll go with the short version. Still, the loss was seemingly avoidable, as Petrolera took an early 14th minute lead due to a goal from Victor Castillo. Vladimir Hernández (45th/pen) and Michael Ortega (61st) turned the game around for the guests. With his successful strike, Hernández has joined Duque and Preciado at the top with 7 goals each.

Paraguay

Olimpia celebrated an exciting 4-2 home victory over Sportivo Luqueño. The visitors started pretty well and had the first few chances of the contest, would eventually score the opening goal. Derlis Alegre was the target of a long through ball that sliced open Olimpia’s back four and put it through the legs of goalkeeper Centurión. Still, the hosts kept calm and hit back twice before the halftime whistle. Robert Piris (31’) and Freddy Bareiro (42’) scored, the first one after a bad punch by opposing goalkeeper Giménez, the second from a short distance after a nice low cross from the right from Salgueiro.

Right as the second half started, Luqueño was back in it again, after an own goal from Carlos Rolón. While both teams kept having chances up and down the pitch, the breaking point was the second yellow card for Sportivo player Marcelo Báez in the 70th minute, which was the right decision. Olimpia went on to win the match through a fantastic flying header from Cristian Riveros (78’) and a penalty from Pablo Zeballos in the last minute. The hosts are top of the league, but Cerro Porteño have a game in hand.

Peru

Sporting Cristal continue to dominate the league early on with the fourth win in as many games, this time a 4-0, which was never in any doubt, over Ayacucho. Twice, Cristal scored both goals in the last 15 minutes of each half. César Pereyra (32’, 7th goal in 4 games!) and Alexís Cossio (38’) as well as Carlos Lobatón (82’) and Irven Ávila (90’) were the goalscorers. Particularly the first three goals are worth a look and you can get it here.

Uruguay

Nacional were victorious against CA Cerro last night and now lead the Uruguayan table after week 6 of the Apertura. Admittedly, they had to wait until the very end to be sure of it. A 4-3 win in a game that went back and forth was definitely worth watching and I am glad I did. Man of the match was Iván Alonso, the experienced striker scored Nacional’s first two goals himself and assisted on the last two.

Cerro took the lead early through a Correa goal (3’), equalized before the half hour mark through Alonso via penalty. Only two minutes into the second half he scored again, this time from open play. Luis Urruti made it 2-2 again after an hour and Urruti in general was a huge danger throughout the game. He made Santiago Romero look old in particular on multiple occasions. It did not matter though, since Nacional had more in the tank. Goals from Seba Fernández (69’) and Alejandro Barbaro (74’) in quick succession put the game to bed, at least theoretically. A Richard Porta penalty seven minutes from the end put a little scare back into the home fans, but the Uruguayan record champions held on until the end.

Venezuela

Caracas FC have lost their home game against Aragua FC 1-2. While Caracas was the better team throughout the early parts of the game and took the lead through a tap-in from Felix Cásseres in the 13th minute, they lost their way a bit after. The second half belonged to the guests, who scored twice. A shot into the bottom left corner from Raul Vallona (51’) and a nice lob from Tulio Etchemaite two minutes after decided this battle. While Caracas could have equalized with a shot that hit the crossbar, the score remained 1-2, putting Aragua up to third in the table, equal with leaders Zamora.

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