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

San Lorenzo drew 2-2 with Santos at Brazil’s Urbano Caldeira stadium on matchday five 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 has just been 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 led to a lightning-fast transition with passes between Benjamín Rollheiser, Miguel Terceros and Gabigol, who sent a cross into the box for Gabriel Bontempo to tap the ball into the net.

The 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 a key figure in ending the half without conceding. Meanwhile, the small details also went the home side’s way: after a late foul by Facundo Gulli, Gabigol made it 2-0 with a free kick that deflected off the wall and the ball went in by Orlando Gill’s right post in stoppage time. In the closing moments of the first half, Brazao came up big again to deny Mathías De Ritis a goal.

From the start of the second half, the team coached by Cuca seemed content with the lead, dropped deep 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 great finish in a one-on-one against Gabriel Brazao.

This result changed the entire course of the group because a loss would have left San Lorenzo no longer in control of its own fate 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). Those latter two will play simultaneously in Brazil.

It is worth remembering that the team finishing first will earn a guaranteed spot among the last 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.