August 15 – Reigning Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo defeated LDU Quito 1-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie to take a step towards qualification for the last eight.
With a goal by Arthur after 14 seconds, the Rio club were in the driving seat from the start, but they failed to capitalise on the early advantage. Instead, the defending champions sat on their slender lead and adopted a deep block, inviting the visitors forward. They often struggled with Quito’s good organisation and played badly in front of their own fans. Next week, the Rio club will travel to Quito where the 2800 metres altitude will play its part in deciding the tie.
LDU’s manager Thiago Nunes, a Brazilian who previously coached Botafogo, believes his side has a good chance of turning the tie around.
“These are two very evenly matched teams. Botafogo achieved an important result, but not a decisive one. We have the ability to play a great game at home and turn the tables to advance to the quarterfinals,” said Nunes.
“Unfortunately, we conceded a goal very early, so the game started 1-0, but our team showed character throughout the match. We may have lacked the ability to create scoring chances, but we controlled the game for most of the match. I leave with a very good feeling; the team was able to react and play the game. There’s no such thing as fair or unfair in football. In the end, we lost, but it could easily have been a draw.”
On Thursday, Palmeiras defeated Universitario 4-0 and Libertad held Argentinian giants River Plate to a goalless draw. In total, six Brazilian and four Argentinian clubs remain in the competition. This year, the competition’s final returns to Lima, Peru, which hosted the showpiece match of the South American club season in 2019 as well.
Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]