South America Review: The big stories beyond the Copa Libertadores?

There was more happening in South America than just the Superclasico edition of the Copa Libertadores final. Here are the stories from around the continent.

The big story in South America this weekend was, naturally, the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final featuring a Superclasico duel between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Postponed by one day due to rain in Buenos Aires, the first leg at La Bombonera pitted the two Argentinian giants for the biggest stakes ever in the century-long rivalry.

Boca Juniors took the lead twice, but both times River Plate managed to claw their way back and find an equalizer. When they meet for the return leg at El Monumental on Nov. 24, River Plate will have a decided advantage thanks to their two away goals in their rival’s home ground.

But that was hardly the only story of interest in South America this week. Several domestic leagues moved toward the culmination of their seasons, and one champion was crowned on Sunday. Let’s look beyond the Libertadores to some of the other big story that transpired in the world of South American soccer this weekend.

Alianza Lima get second chance to challenge Melgar in Peru

With the Peruvian Primera winding down the Clausura, the penultimate matchday afforded Melgar the chance to pull away with the title for good. Instead, the current leaders fell 1-0 at home to Cantolao. Diego Pizarro scored for the visitors in the 23rd minute, allowing Cantolao to launch up to ninth in the table.

The Melgar loss opened the door for Alianza Lima to step back up for a chance at the Clausura title. With three matches in eight days, Alianza always had a tall task. But they got the job done in the first of three matches, winning at home versus Sport Huancayo after giving up a first-half goal. Christian Adrianzen and Mauricio Affonso reversed fortunes in the second half for Alianza, allowing them to snatch a 2-1 win.

Now they have to play a makeup fixture on the road against San Martin on Wednesday that was postponed in October. Alianza close out their Clausura schedule away against Binacional. Needing to win both matches, the pressure will be on both Alianza and Melgar to keep winning.

Alianza has to win both matches and either see Melgar lose or draw against San Martin to secure the Clausura title. Ultimately, though, both teams are already locked into the playoff of the Torneo Descentralizado that determines the annual champion of Peru. The Clausura would be a source of pride for Alianza, but the main prize is the main focus as the powerhouse from the capital looks to claim the domestic title for two years in a row.

Gremio turns Brazil’s Serie A race into a five-team battle

With only five matchdays left in Brazil’s Serie A race, nine points now separate the top five clubs. Palmeiras, sitting with a five-point lead in the standings entering the weekend, drew 1-1 at Atletico Mineiro on Sunday. Mineiro took the lead at home in the second half, but a penalty in the 77th minute allowed Palmeiras to salvage a point from the encounter and avoid total disaster.

But only one team in the top five was able to take advantage of that fact over the weekend. Third-place Flamengo lost 2-1 at Botafogo on Saturday, as they gave up two goals to the hosts in the first 30 minutes. A goal by Vitinho shortly after the intermission cut the deficit in half, but that was as close as Flamengo would get to leveling the match.

Also on Saturday, fourth-place Sao Paulo could only earn a 1-1 draw against Corinthians. The Tricolor were unable to get all three points despite playing against a squad that played the entire second half with 10 men after the ejection of Angelo Araos in first-half stoppage time.

Then, on Sunday, second-place Internacional drew 1-1 at Ceara, coughing up an early lead as the hosts leveled before halftime. Instead of finding a way to cut the gap between first and second to only three points, it proved an opportunity lost as opportunities begin to run out.

One club managed to take advantage of everyone else’s inability to secure victories. Gremio pulled ahead of Sao Paulo into fourth place with a 2-1 win over Vasco da Gama. Gremio gave up a 12th-minute goal to Thiago Galhardo, but Jael Ferreira nabbed an equalizer eight minutes later and Matheus Henrique stole the full three points with a 95th-minute strike for the win.

Penarol seal club’s 52nd domestic title in Uruguay

While the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final transpired in La Boca district in Buenos Aires, another championship matchup was held on the other side of the Rio de la Plata in Montevideo. Nacional and Penarol squared off on Sunday afternoon at Estadio Centenario in the semifinal matchup to determine the overall Primera winner in 2018.

The format for the Uruguayan championship is unique in that the Apertura and Clausura champions play one another. The winner then plays the team that finished with the best aggregate point total between the two halves of the season.

In this case, Nacional needed to win to ensure another match against Penarol. The two sides played a scoreless first half, but Nacional drew first blood shortly after the intermission. Matias Zunino scored in the 48th minute, putting Nacional ahead 1-0 and keeping hopes alive for the club’s 47th all-time domestic league championship.

But Penarol had a different idea. After the Nacional goal, it reawakened the Penarol attack. Center-back Fabricio Formiliano leveled the match in the 73rd minute. Then six minutes into stoppage time, Alfonso Espino committed a foul in the box. Up to the spot stepped Carlos Rodriguez, and his attempt beat Nacional goalkeeper Esteban Conde for the winner.

With the goal, Penarol avoided having to play the final against themselves. Both clubs earned a spot in the Copa Libertadores next year, but only one could add to their large totals of domestic titles. Penarol extended their historical lead in that category among Uruguayan clubs by taking out their closest rival in a comeback victory on Sunday afternoon.