South American football is heating up as teams battle for supremacy in various continental competitions. In a highly controversial Copa Argentina match, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Barracas Central to advance to the quarterfinals. The match, which saw Benjamín Domínguez score the winning goal in his farewell appearance for Gimnasia before joining Bologna in Italy, ended in chaos with a post-game brawl involving players from both teams.In the Copa Sudamericana, Athletico Paranaense demonstrated their prowess by defeating Belgrano with a 4-1 aggregate score (2-1 in the first leg, 2-0 in the return). The victory sets up a quarterfinal clash with Racing from Argentina. Fortaleza’s Lucero also made headlines, scoring his seventh goal in the tournament and becoming the joint second-highest scorer.Meanwhile, the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals are taking shape. São Paulo secured their spot with a convincing 2-0 win over Nacional, thanks to goals from Bobadilla and Calleri. They will face Botafogo in the next round. Flamengo, despite missing key players due to injuries, including Arrascaeta and Gabriel Barbosa, is set to face Bolívar with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.These results highlight the intensity and unpredictability of South American football, with teams from Argentina and Brazil dominating the continental competitions. As the tournaments progress, the stakes continue to rise, promising more exciting matches and potentially volatile encounters in the coming weeks.
Key points
- Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata advanced in Copa Argentina amid post-match violence.
- Athletico Paranaense and São Paulo secured quarterfinal spots in Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores respectively.
- Flamengo prepares for crucial Copa Libertadores match against Bolívar despite key player absences.
Contradictions👾There are slight discrepancies in the reporting of the Gimnasia vs Barracas Central match, with some sources emphasizing the violence more than others.
