San Lorenzo drew 2-2 with Santos, one step from Copa Sudamericana last 16 | OneFootball

San Lorenzo drew 2-2 against Santos at Brazil’s Urbano Caldeira stadium on Matchday 5 of Group D of the Copa Sudamericana and is now just one step away from qualifying for the round of 16 if it gets a win at home in the final matchday.

Peixe went into the match with the notable injury absence of Neymar Jr. (who was just called up for the World Cup), but that did not affect the team mentally because it opened the scoring after 58 seconds following an attacking turnover by Nahuel Perrito Barrios. The home side’s recovery sparked a lightning-fast transition with passes from Benjamín Rollheiser, Miguel Terceros and Gabigol, who sent a cross into the box for Gabriel Bontempo to tap the ball into the net.

El Ciclón tried to recover from that early blow in Vila Belmiro, but ran into the solidity of Gabriel Brazao, who preserved the lead and was key to ending the half without conceding. Meanwhile, the little details also favored the home side: a late foul by Facundo Gulli led to the 2-0 scored by Gabigol from a free kick that deflected off the wall, with the ball going in next to Orlando Gill’s right post in stoppage time. In the final moments of the first half, Brazao stepped up again to deny Mathías De Ritis a goal.

After halftime, the team coached by Cuca seemed content with the lead, dropped back, and relied on quick attacks in an attempt to put the game away, but that strategy did not work and ended up undoing everything it had built early on. De Ritis got his revenge in the 71st minute to make it 1-2, and Rodrigo Auzmendi sealed the equalizer with a superb finish in a one-on-one against Gabriel Brazao.

This result completely changed the outlook of the group because a defeat would have left San Lorenzo no longer depending on itself heading into the final matchday. Now, it remains the sole leader of Group D with seven points and will qualify directly for the round of 16 if it beats Paraguay’s Recoleta FC next Tuesday at the Nuevo Gasómetro (kickoff is at 9:30 p.m.). The Paraguayans are third (5) and still have a chance going into the finale, while Deportivo Cuenca is second (6) and Santos remains bottom (4). The latter two will play simultaneously in Brazil.

It is worth remembering that the team finishing first will secure a place among the final 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, while the runners-up will have to play a playoff against one of the third-placed teams coming from the Copa Libertadores

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.