Copa Libertadores 2024: River Plate See Off Talleres Challenge” Botafogo and Penarol Also Through
The quarter-final bracket of Copa Libertadores 2024 has started to take shape as three more teams booked their place in the last 8. In the all-Argentinian affair, River Plate defeated Club Atlético Talleres with Botafogo defeating Palmeiras in an all-Brazilian tie. Elsewhere Penarol comfortably saw off a challenge from The Strongest to reach the quarter-final.
Let us take a look at all the 3 matches in detail.
River Plate vs Atletico Talleres
River Plate came into the 2nd leg of their Round of 16 tie against Talleres with a 1-0 aggregate lead. The hosts made a fast start to the game, pinning Talleres in their own half. Their pressure paid off when Miguel Borja slotted home with a first-time shot to make it 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate. Talleres responded with a couple of chances of their own but went into the half-time without troubling the scorers.
River Plate extended their lead early in the 2nd half thanks to Santiago Simón’s slick finish at the near post to take the tie beyond the reach of Talleres. The visitors, however, did show a fight with Federico Girotti slotted home from a Blas Riveros’ low cross to make in 2-1 on the night.
Marcelo Gallardo’s men held on in the final stages to win the game 2-1 and take the tie 3-1 on aggregate.
The Strongest vs Penarol
The Strongest had a huge task of turning a 4-0 deficit from the first leg against Penarol at the Estadio Hernando Siles. The Bolivians expectedly went all out right from the first whistle in search of a goal. Penarol, however, defended resiliently, keeping the host’s offense at bay. The Strongest took the lead in the 44th minute when Triverio slotted home from a spot kick.
The second half was somewhat lackluster as both sides failed to create any meaningful chance with Penarol happy to sit back and defend their aggregate lead.
The game ended in a 1-0 win for The Strongest but it was Penarol who booked their place in the last 8 of Copa Libertadores 2024.
Palmeiras vs Botafogo
Palmieras and Botafogo were involved in an entertaining 2-1 battle in the first leg with the latter coming out as winners. With all to play for in the 2nd leg, the first half was a cagey affair with both sides defending deep, limiting the opponent’s offensive threat.
The game came to life in the second half with Igor Jesus finishing a beautiful team play to put the visitors ahead. The visitors doubled their lead 8 minutes later when Jefferson Savarino dribbled past the Palmeiras defense and finished beautifully, taking the tie beyond the reach of Palmeiras.
As the home fans began to head to the exit, Palmieras bagged two late goals to bring life back into the tie. Botafogo’s fear of a collapse was complete when Palmeiras put the ball in the back of the visitor’s net, only for the VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for a handball inside the box. The decisions saved Botafogo’s blushes, who booked their spot in the quarter-final.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
