By Louis Smith.
Group A
Group A features Flamengo, Estudiantes, Independiente Medellín, and Cusco.
Flamengo, of course, have been the standouts. The defending champions have won two out of their three matches, scoring seven goals and conceding just twice. They began their campaign with a 2-0 victory away from home at altitude against Cusco, before battering Independiente Medellín 4-1 at home. Their most recent outing saw them earn a point away against a tough Estudiantes side.
For Estudiantes, it’s been a relatively solid campaign so far. They remain undefeated, with one win and two draws from their opening matches. They picked up a strong point in Colombia against Independiente Medellín, before beating Cusco 2-1 at home.
Their draw with Flamengo leaves them second in the table. Behind them are Colombian side Independiente Medellín, who have drawn one, won one, and lost one. Their victory came against Cusco, a 1-0 win on home soil thanks to an 87th-minute winner from Francisco Fydriszewski.
For Cusco, however, it’s been a very disappointing campaign so far, with three defeats from three, scoring just one goal and conceding five. They will be hoping to improve their form in the second half of the campaign.
As it stands, it looks like Flamengo are going to qualify, whilst Estudiantes and Independiente Medellín battle it out for second and third place. Cusco will be hoping they can find themselves in the mix to fight for at least a Copa Sudamericana place.
Flamengo’s veteran Bruno Henrique, at 35, has been one of their better performers so far, at least in terms of output. Against Cusco, he got on the scoresheet before registering a goal and an assist against Independiente Medellín, and then providing an assist for Luis Araújo in Flamengo’s 1-1 draw with Estudiantes.
Group B
One of the most exciting and wide-open groups so far is between Tolima, Nacional, Universitario, and Coquimbo, who have all won one, drawn one, and lost one in what is shaping up to be a very competitive group, likely to go down to the wire.
Each team is separated by goal difference. Tolima sit top with a goal difference of +1, while Nacional and Universitario both sit on zero, and Coquimbo, with -1, are bottom. So everything is still to play for in what is the most evenly matched group so far.
Tolima and Universitario started their campaigns with a 0-0 draw, whilst Nacional beat Coquimbo 2-1 in the same matchweek. Week two saw Tolima suffer a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Uruguayan side Nacional, while Universitario were beaten 2-0 at home by Coquimbo.
In the final round of fixtures, Tolima bounced back with a 3-1 win over Coquimbo, while La U also responded with an exciting 4-2 victory away at Nacional.
As you can tell from these results, the group is very unpredictable — one week you can be on a high, the next on a low — making it one of the most intriguing in the competition. It’s very hard to pick who will come out on top in this group, but one thing is certain: whoever misses out will feel very disappointed given how tight and competitive it is.
Group C
In 2023, Independiente Rivadavia were promoted to the first division for the first time in their history, and just three years later, they find themselves competing in the Copa Libertadores for the first time too. They have been placed in a group with Bolivian side Bolívar, Venezuelan side La Guaira, and Brazilian side Fluminense.
The Argentinian debutants have enjoyed a fantastic start to life in South America’s top-tier competition, winning three matches from three. In matchweek one, they took on Bolívar and secured a 1-0 victory on home soil. The other game saw La Guaira and Fluminense play out a 0-0 draw.
Matchweek two saw Independiente Rivadavia shock the Brazilian side away from home with a 2-1 victory. The result was even more impressive considering Fluminense took the lead inside 10 minutes, before Fabricio Sartori equalised eight minutes before half-time. Alex Arce then completed the turnaround, scoring the goal that secured a historic win against Brazilian opposition.
They followed that up in matchweek three with a 4-1 win over La Guaira. Meanwhile, Fluminense’s struggles continued, suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Bolívar at altitude. Robinson Matheus opened the scoring, and things got worse for the Brazilian side when Facundo Banal was sent off early in the second half for sarcastically applauding the referee, receiving a second yellow card. Matheus then doubled both his tally and Bolívar’s lead to seal the win.
That leaves the Argentinian side top of the group, with Bolívar second on four points, La Guaira on two, and, perhaps the biggest surprise so far, Fluminense sitting bottom. However, they are just one win away from moving up to second, so there is still everything to play for. Independiente Rivadavia look almost nailed on to be playing knockout Copa Libertadores football for the first time.
Group D
Group D is another group that is quite wide open, similar to Group B, with three teams on six points. However, there is one unlucky side who sit rock bottom with three defeats from three.
We start at the top, where Boca Juniors have six points from two wins and a defeat. They began their campaign with a 2-1 victory away to Universidad Católica, a solid and important start on the road. Going into the tournament, Boca were one of the favourites outside of the Brazilian sides.
The other match in matchweek one saw Cruzeiro earn a 1-0 victory away at Barcelona Guayaquil, who qualified via the preliminary rounds. It was a Matheus Pereira goal that gave the Brazilian side the win in Ecuador.
However, in matchweek two, Cruzeiro were stunned on home soil, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Católica. It took Jimmy Martínez, who came on in the 89th minute, to score a dramatic 94th-minute winner, the perfect example of a smash-and-grab performance.
In the same round, Boca Juniors cruised to a 3-0 win over Barcelona. However, in the most recent fixtures, they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Cruzeiro. Boca played the majority of the match with 10 men following a red card for Adam Bareiro, who was sent off for two yellow cards.
It was Neyser Villarreal, brought in from Millonarios, who scored his first Libertadores goal to give Cruzeiro the three points. The other match saw Barcelona’s struggles continue, as they were beaten at home by Católica, with the Chilean side racing into a 2-0 lead and never looking back.
Group E
Group E sees Corinthians, Platense, Santa Fe and Peñarol. Corinthians are one of two sides yet to concede a goal in the Copa Libertadores this season. They began their campaign with a 2-0 victory away to Platense in Argentina, while Santa Fe and Peñarol played out a 1-1 draw.
In the second round of fixtures, Corinthians secured another 2-0 win, this time over Santa Fe, while Platense picked up a 2-1 victory away against Uruguayan giants Peñarol.
Corinthians made it three 2-0 wins from three with another 2-0 victory, this time against Peñarol in São Paulo. Gustavo Henrique opened the scoring for Timão before Jesse Lingard netted his first Libertadores goal for the club.
One of the standout areas for Corinthians so far has been their midfield. Rodrigo Garro has provided four assists in the competition and has been consistently impressive. It would also be hard not to mention the midfield engine Breno Bidon, who has been a key player this season and has already been heavily linked with a move to a European club.
The other match in the group saw Platense secure a 2-1 win over Santa Fe on home soil, their second 2-1 victory in a row, which puts them second in the table behind Corinthians.
Santa Fe and Peñarol have work to do when the competition resumes, as they trail second place by five points. It looks almost certain that Corinthians will be playing knockout football in the Libertadores, while Platense will be hoping one or two more wins will be enough to secure their place in the last 16.
Group F
Group F features Sporting Cristal of Peru, Palmeiras of Brazil, Cerro Porteño of Paraguay, and Junior of Colombia. It is a well-balanced group at the halfway stage.
Surprisingly, it is not the Brazilian side, last season’s runners-up Palmeiras, who sit top, but Sporting Cristal, who lead the way by a single point.
Sporting opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Cerro Porteño, taking advantage of a Cecilio Domínguez red card in the first half.
In the other match in matchweek one, Palmeiras earned a point on the road at Junior. Matchweek two saw Palmeiras pick up their first victory with a narrow 2-1 win over Sporting Cristal. It took a José López penalty to secure the three points. Palmeiras may be flying in the Brazilian league at the moment, but their Libertadores form hasn’t been as dominant.
The other match saw another narrow victory, this time for Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño, who beat Junior thanks to an early second-half goal from Jonathan Torres.
The third and final matchweek saw Sporting Cristal earn a solid 2-0 victory over Junior, who sit bottom of the group on one point. Palmeiras were held to a draw away from home against Cerro Porteño.
There is still all to play for in this group, with Cerro Porteño, Palmeiras and Sporting Cristal all battling it out for the top two spots. Junior could still be involved, but they trail by four points and have plenty of work to do.
Group G
Group G is also well in the balance, with three teams on six points and one side yet to pick up a single point. LDU Quito, who reached the semi-finals last year before being knocked out 4-3 on aggregate by Palmeiras, have started their campaign relatively well. They sit top of the group on goal difference by a single goal.
They opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory away to Bolivian side Always Ready. In the other match, last year’s Copa Sudamericana winners Lanús faced Brazilian debutants Mirassol, and it was the Brazilian side who came out on top with a 1-0 win thanks to a second-half goal from Joao Victor. Mirassol may be struggling domestically, but their Libertadores campaign has been far more positive.
Matchweek two saw Lanús earn a 1-0 victory over Always Ready at home, whilst LDU Quito beat Mirassol 2-0 on home soil, where the altitude continues to give them a strong advantage.
In the most recent round of fixtures, LDU Quito suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Lanús. Mirassol, on the other hand, continued their strong home form with a 2-0 victory over Always Ready, with Eduardo and Alesson getting on the scoresheet.
The result leaves LDU Quito top on goal difference, just ahead of Lanús and Mirassol, with Always Ready rooted to the bottom of the table.
Group H
The final group to recap features an Argentinian side, an Ecuadorian side, a Venezuelan side, and a Paraguayan side. Sitting top after the opening rounds are Rosario Central, who, like Corinthians, are yet to concede in this tournament.
They began their campaign with a 0-0 draw at home to Independiente del Valle, a frustrating result on paper. The other match saw Universidad Central enjoy a 3-1 victory over Libertad on home soil.
Matchweek two saw Rosario Central pick up their first win with a 1-0 victory away in Paraguay, thanks to an 83rd-minute goal from Emmanuel Copetti. In the other fixture, Universidad Central, after their opening win, suffered a defeat away to the ever-consistent Independiente del Valle.
Matchweek three saw Rosario Central enjoy a comfortable 3-0 victory away in Venezuela against Universidad Central, an away fixture that looked tricky on paper but proved to be anything but.
In the other match, it was an exciting encounter between Independiente del Valle and Libertad. The Ecuadorian side came out on top with a 3-2 victory, with Carlos González netting an impressive hat-trick, making him one of the standout performers in the group so far.
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