In an exciting comeback night at Defensores del Chaco stadium, Olimpia defeated Vasco da Gama 3-1 on Wednesday and took the lead in their Copa Sudamericana group, one round before the end of the group stage.
The Paraguayan team started pressing but could not convert their early dominance into goals. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Vasco's Colombian defender Carlos Cuesta headed in from a corner taken by Portuguese player Nuno Moreira to open the scoring.
In the second half, Olimpia pushed forward and equalized in the 20th minute, with Mateo Gamarra heading in after a cross from Hugo Quintana. The comeback came after Vasco's João Vitor was sent off for a violent tackle on Franco Alfonso. Hugo Sandoval, with an outstretched leg, scored Olimpia's second goal from a free kick taken by Lezcano. In stoppage time, Sandoval also assisted Sebastián Ferreira to close the score at 3-1.
In the other match of the round, Santos and San Lorenzo drew 2-2 at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos. The Brazilian team, which did not have Neymar (called up to the Brazilian national team for the 2026 World Cup), took a 2-0 lead with goals from Gabriel Bontempo (at 40 seconds) and Gabigol (from a free kick at the end of the first half). In the second half, San Lorenzo fought back: Uruguay's Mathias de Ritis and Rodrigo Auzmendi scored for the Argentine team, which kept the lead in Group D with 7 points.
With the result, Recoleta FC, which has 5 points, goes into the final round with chances of advancing. If they beat San Lorenzo in Buenos Aires, the Paraguayan team could reach the round of 16, in one of the group's big surprises. Santos, with 4 points, is eliminated from direct contention for the spot.