Amid a climate of criticism, a crisis of results, and many doubts about the project, Botafogo faced a crucial match on Wednesday night against Bolivian side Aurora, a club that had drawn with them in the first leg played in Cochabamba and led to the dismissal of Botafogo’s coach, Tiago Nunes, due to the surprising result.
Despite arriving with a 1-1 draw on aggregate, with an interim coaching staff and a heated atmosphere with fans who graffitied the Nilton Santos stadium after the first leg draw, the return match did not weigh heavily on Botafogo, who managed to overcome this negative situation by thrashing the Bolivian team and securing their passage to the next round.
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Botafogo defeated Aurora and will face RB Bragantino in the third round
From start to finish, Botafogo’s dominance was felt both in the stands and on the field. The one who opened the scoring was the eventual hero of the evening, Junior Santos, who tapped in after receiving an exquisite pass from Tiquinho Soares around the 3rd minute.
A few minutes later, in the 15th minute, Tiquinho himself made it 2-0 and led his team towards what seemed to be a historic rout. Towards the end of the first half, Venezuelan Savarino scored the 3-0 goal, and Botafogo’s dominance could not have been more evident.
In the first half, Botafogo managed to attempt a total of nine shots, with four of those on target, scoring three goals in the process. On the other hand, Aurora only managed one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, Botafogo and specifically Junior Santos did not hold back, as the 29-year-old forward went on to score three goals in the second half (52′, 69′, and 81′) to complete his personal poker and seal his team’s 6-0 victory over Aurora.
With a 7-1 scoreline on aggregate, the Rio de Janeiro club overcame criticism with an impressive result and secured their spot in the next round, where they will face RB Bragantino.
The third round of the Copa Libertadores will commence on Wednesday, March 6th, and the two Brazilian teams present in this stage will be forced to clash to secure the “golden ticket,” a direct spot in the group stage of the 2024 Copa Libertadores.
RB Bragantino and Botafogo will face off on March 6th and March 13th in two-legged matches.
