Cienciano crushed Botafogo 6-1 at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega stadium in Cusco in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana 2026 round of 16 tie on Thursday.
The Peruvian side took a commanding lead behind a hat trick from striker Matías Succar and two goals from Neri Bandiera. Marcos Martinich also scored for Cienciano, while Matheus Martins provided the only goal for the Brazilian visitors.
The winner of the two legged tie will face either Tigre or Montevideo City Torque in the quarterfinals.
In other pre match news reported by the source, 86 kilograms of marijuana were found in a bus that was supposed to transport the Sao Paulo team prior to a Copa Sudamericana match.
First half action
Cienciano dominated the opening minutes playing in the altitude of Cusco. Alejandro Hohberg had a shot saved by Botafogo goalkeeper Warleson after a set piece in the fourth minute, and Bandiera shot wide from a long pass in the 16th minute.
Succar opened the scoring in the 18th minute, heading an unsavable effort past Warleson from a Hohberg cross. Two minutes later, Bandiera finished a great team move to make it 2-0. The goal was confirmed in the 26th minute after an extensive video assistant referee check.
In the 30th minute, a mistake by Warleson left the ball for Succar to score his second and give Cienciano a 3-0 lead. Martinich then scored a tremendous goal in the 35th minute to extend the advantage to 4-0.
Botafogo made a double substitution in the 37th minute, bringing on Kauan Toledo and Arthur Cabral for Álvaro Montoro and Kadir Barria. Kevin Becerra shot completely wide for Cienciano from outside the box in the 42nd minute. During eight minutes of first half stoppage time, Hohberg sent a shot just wide of the left post.
Second half goals
Cienciano substituted Ademar Robles for Juan Romagnoli at halftime, and Robles received a yellow card in the 46th minute. Martins scored a great free kick for Botafogo in the 49th minute to reduce the deficit to 4-1.
Bandiera fell in the Botafogo penalty area in the 51st minute but indicated there was no foul, and he had a shot from outside the box saved by Warleson in the 56th minute. Botafogo brought on Alex Telles for Marcal in the 57th minute, and Cabral shot close to the left post of Cienciano goalkeeper Ítalo Espinoza a minute later.
Bandiera scored his second goal in the 62nd minute, finishing a great pass from Hohberg to make it 5-1. Botafogo then replaced Cristian Medina and Danilo Santos with Santiago Rodríguez and Edenilson in the 64th minute. Hohberg shot wide from outside the box in the 65th minute.
Cienciano brought on Henry Caparo for Bandiera in the 70th minute. Caparo shot wide from distance in the 76th minute before Succar completed his hat trick in the 78th minute, finishing a great cross from Cristian Souza on the right.
Gabriel Justino of Botafogo was booked in the 86th minute, and Gonzalo Aguirre replaced Gerson Barreto for Cienciano a minute later. Ray Sandoval replaced Souza in the 90th minute. Edenilson had a goal ruled out for offside in the first minute of three minutes of stoppage time.
Starting lineups and absences
The confirmed starting lineup for Cienciano was Espinoza in goal; Cabello, Maximiliano Amondarain, Becerro, and Martinich in defense; Barreto and Romagnoli in midfield; and Souza, Hohberg, Bandiera, and Succar in attack.
Botafogo started with Warleson; Ponte, Nahuel Ferraresi, Justino, and Marcal; Huguinho and Medino; Danilo Santos, Montoro, Martins, and Barria.
Cienciano was without striker Carlos Garcés and Santiago Arias, who both missed the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Succar replaced Garcés.
Pre match preparations
The Inca Garcilaso de la Vega stadium, which holds 42,000 spectators, opened its doors at 4:30 p.m. Cienciano prohibited fans from bringing flares or any advertising elements, including balloons or posters with brands.
Botafogo announced their arrival in Lima on social media before heading to Cusco.
Everything was prepared in the Cienciano locker room before the teams took the field.
Tournament context and history
Botafogo entered the match having gone undefeated in the Copa Sudamericana group stage with five wins and one draw. Cienciano remained undefeated playing at home in the tournament, having reached the round of 16 by eliminating Lanús after a home comeback in the playoffs.
Botafogo had an undefeated historical record against Peruvian teams, registering four wins and four draws. Past results included a 3-1 home win and 1-0 away win against Universitario in the 2024 Copa Libertadores, a 2-0 away win and 3-0 home win over Real Garcilaso in 2014, and in 1973, a 3-3 away draw and 3-2 home win against Universitario, along with a 1-1 away draw and 0-0 home draw against Sporting Cristal.
Cienciano held a positive home record against Brazilian teams in Cusco, with the source reporting one victory and two draws. Their past matches against Brazilian opponents included a 2-0 away loss and 1-0 home win against Atlético Mineiro in 2026, a 1-1 away draw and 0-0 home draw against Atlético Mineiro in 2025, and a 2-1 home win and 1-1 away draw against Santos in the 2003 Copa Sudamericana.
Cienciano's recent results before the match included a 1-0 loss to Alianza Atlético on August 6, a 2-0 win over Universitario on August 2, a 4-0 win against Lanús on July 29, a 2-0 loss to Juan Pablo II on July 25, and a 2-0 loss to Lanús on July 22.
Botafogo's last five matches saw a 1-1 draw with Fluminense on August 8, a 1-0 win over Cruzeiro on July 26, a 0-0 draw with Vitória on July 23, a 2-1 win against Santos on July 16, and a 2-1 loss to Bahía on May 30.
Broadcast and officiating
Kickoff was scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador; 6:30 p.m. in Costa Rica and Mexico; 8:30 p.m. in Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela, and the United States cities of Miami, New York, and Washington D.C.; 9:30 p.m. in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay; and 2:30 a.m. on Friday in Spain.
The match was broadcast on ESPN and Disney+ Premium in Peru. It was also available on Disney+ Premium in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay; on ESPN 3 and Disney+ Premium in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela; and on Paramount+ in Brazil.
The match was officiated by an Ecuadorian refereeing team led by Augusto Aragón, with assistants Christian Lescano and Mauricio Lozada, fourth official Oswaldo Contreras, and VAR officials Franklin Congo and Kevin Pazmiño.
Major bookmakers gave Cienciano a slight advantage before kickoff. Betsson priced a Cienciano win at 2.32, a draw at 3.15, and a Botafogo win at 2.92. Betano offered 2.52 for Cienciano, 3.25 for a draw, and 3.10 for Botafogo. Bet365 listed Cienciano at 2.40, a draw at 3.40, and Botafogo at 2.90. 1XBet had Cienciano at 2.56, a draw at 3.26, and Botafogo at 3.10. Caliente offered 2.46 for Cienciano, 3.40 for a draw, and 2.94 for Botafogo, while Doradobet priced Cienciano at 2.54, a draw at 3.10, and Botafogo at 3.00.
Other news
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A Peruvian female boxer has been detained in the United States for two months, with her family asking for help to secure her release.
