Despite the 3-1 defeat against Peñarol in Montevideo, the 5-0 score in the first leg allowed Fogao to practically conclude the series. Ultimately, the Rio team will be Atlético Mineiro’s rival for the American title.
The Copa Libertadores 2024 has its finalists. And as has become a habit, the title will be defined between the Brazilians. Tonight, in Montevideo, Botafogo closed their series against Peñarol with a 3-1 defeat, but still ended up sealing their ranking towards the duel for the crown, to face Atlético Mineiro.
This tie was practically sealed in the first leg, played a week ago in Rio de Janeiro. With a high-flying second half, Fogao dominated the Carboneros with a resounding 5-0, a match in which Brazilian national team player Luiz Henrique stood out. Barring disaster in Uruguay, the casting led by the Portuguese Artur Jorge was going to be in the final. For this reason, the DT has made some changes.
The duel experienced an untimely change of stage. It was originally intended for the Champion of the Century, the Manya Redoubt. However, he was transferred to Centenario so that there would be visiting supporters. Initially, the presence of Brazilian roller skaters was prevented following the serious incidents that occurred in Rio de Janeiro with Uruguayan supporters.
The black and gold team ended up winning the second leg, but it wasn’t enough to aspire to a miracle. In any case, he retired with his head raised and a better taste in his mouth, after the bad experience of Nilton Santos, seven days ago.
In the 31st minute, Jaime Báez opened the account with a superb goal. A remarkable shot from outside the box hit goalkeeper Jhon in a corner. If the situation was difficult because of the score, it became more complicated for Peñarol due to the expulsion of goalkeeper Washington Aguerre, just before half-time.
In the complement, Báez repeated. In the 66th minute, the scorer did it again, with another long shot. With one less, Diego Aguirre’s students were still in the fight. And Botafogo would also find themselves with one less, due to the expulsion of Mateo Ponte. The one who did not start and entered the second period was the Argentinian Thiago Almada. In the 88th minute, the world champion scored a goal to end the tie for good. In the next action, Facundo Batista made it 3-1 for Manya, which would be the final result.
With an aggregate score of 6-3, Botafogo qualified for a Copa Libertadores final for the first time in its history. It is the only one in the G-12 (the 12 big teams in Brazil) to have never won the trophy. Last year, Fluminense achieved this in an unprecedented way, against Boca Juniors at the Maracaná.
Fogao will face Eduardo Vargas’ Atlético Mineiro for the title and qualification for the 2025 Club World Cup (last place). It will be Saturday November 30 in Buenos Aires.
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
