Portuguese coaches occupy first and second place in their respective groups.
Gremio, managed by Luis Castro, won against Palestino 2-0 in the early hours of this morning, in a match counting towards the fifth round of the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana.
The team coached by the Portuguese manager quickly confirmed their status as favorites in the match. Right from the start, former Barcelona player Braithwaite took advantage of a rebound after a failed save by the opposing goalkeeper and dove to make it 1-0. The first goal was scored after only four minutes.
Gremio were creating goal=scoring opportunities, but lacked finishing against a Chilean side that seemed unable to respond. In the 68th minute, Cristian Pavon decided to put an end to the wastefulness of Luís Castro’s team and, with a powerful shot, fired home to make it 2-0. A fantastic goal from the Argentinian striker.
With this victory, Gremio now has ten points and occupies second place in the group. In the next round, they face Montevideo = the group leader with 12 points = and could, in case of victory, finish in first place. As for Palestino, they occupy last place with only two points.
In another game of the night, Botafogo, coached by Franclim Carvalho, beat Independiente 3-0, also in a match counting towards the fifth round of the group stage of the competition.
Looking to secure first place in the group and with Arthur Cabral in the starting lineup, the away team took the lead in the 24th minute. Medina feinted past the goalkeeper and calmly slotted the ball home to make it 1-0.
In the second 45 minutes, the Portuguese coach’s team only delivered the final blow in the 82nd minute. Barrera = who had come on in the 77th minute = received a great pass from Correa and made it 2-0, sealing Independiente’s hopes. The victory was confirmed by Gutierrez (87th minute) who, while trying to clear the ball, scored an own goal.
With this result, Botafogo secures first place in the group with 13 points. Independiente, on the other hand, is last without any points.