Corinthians begins Libertadores campaign with victory over Liverpool in Uruguay.
Without Hulk, Atlético-MG loses to Libertad at Mineirão.
Brazil Agency - Corinthians defeated Liverpool (Uruguay) 3-0 on Thursday night (6) at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, and secured the leadership of Group E of the Copa Libertadores de América at the start of its journey in the 2023 edition of the competition.
Even playing away from home, Corinthians showed they would play for the win. And just one minute into the game, they managed to put the ball in the back of the net with Fausto Vera after a good play down the right side. However, the goal was disallowed by the referee, who signaled offside. Thus, the São Paulo team only managed to open the scoring in the 46th minute, when Fagner took a corner kick that Balbuena headed in.
The negative note of the initial stage was Renato Augusto's exit from the field, falling alone with pain in his right knee. A sad episode for the experienced player, who, precisely in this match, was returning after recovering from an injury in that area.
Just three minutes into the second half, Corinthians managed to extend their lead. Fagner threaded the ball through the defense, and Róger Guedes stretched to his full extent to head it into the back of the net. The number 10 for Timão was having an inspired night and, in the 17th minute, he scored again after a quick counter-attack.
After a successful debut in the continental competition, Corinthians will return to the field for the tournament on April 19th, a Wednesday, when they host Argentinos Juniors (Argentina).
Atlético Mineiro stumbles at Mineirão.
Atlético-MG had a debut to forget, losing 1-0 to Libertad (Paraguay) at their own Mineirão stadium, leaving them bottom of Group G in the competition.
In the match, Atlético Mineiro couldn't count on their main technical reference, striker Hulk, who was suspended. The only goal of the match came just 9 minutes into the first half from Diego Gómez.
Now Atlético-MG tries to recover in the competition on April 18th, a Tuesday, against Athletico-PR at Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba.