- Castaño started in Atlético Mineiro's 3-0 victory; Vasco, with four Colombians in their squad, won 1-0 at La Bombonera; and Boca, featuring Montero and Villa, need to overturn the deficit in Rio de Janeiro.
- Andrés Gómez delivered the cross for Vasco's goal but was sent off: he will miss the return leg, although he could feature in the Final in Barranquilla on 21 November.
On 21 November, the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla will host the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Final. For eight players across the four Semi-finalists, that date carries added significance: they are Colombian and could contest the Final on home soil. The first legs left each of them in a different position: two play for Atlético Mineiro, who thrashed Montevideo City Torque 3-0, four are part of the Vasco da Gama side that won 1-0 at La Bombonera, and two represent Boca, who must overturn their first-leg deficit.
Atlético Mineiro's Colombian contingent head into the return leg with the biggest advantage. Kevin Castaño, born in Itagüí and a product of Águilas Doradas, arrived in Belo Horizonte in mid-August. He had spent 18 months at River Plate, who had signed him for a club-record transfer fee and for whom he made 45 appearances, and had featured in Néstor Lorenzo's World Cup squad. Within two months, he established himself in Eduardo Domínguez's midfield: he started alongside Maycon against Torque and tested the goalkeeper with a long-range effort that was turned away.
Atlético Mineiro, who lost the 2025 Final to Lanús on penalties, are chasing their first CONMEBOL Sudamericana title and will contest the return leg on Wednesday 21 October at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. According to Opta, the 3-0 result represents the club's biggest victory over Uruguayan opposition in CONMEBOL competitions. Mateo Cassierra, who has played 489 minutes and scored one goal in nine appearances in this edition, did not feature in the first leg.
The most intriguing story belongs to Vasco. In the 24th minute, Andrés Gómez delivered a cross from the left that Adson headed into the far corner to make it 1-0 at La Bombonera, taking Adson's tally to eight direct goal contributions in this edition. In the 64th minute, however, Gómez was sent off. Vasco held on to their lead with ten men and became only the second Brazilian team to defeat Boca away from home in a Semi-final or Final of a CONMEBOL competition, following Pelé's Santos in the 1963 CONMEBOL Libertadores Final. The red card rules Gómez out of Tuesday's return leg at the Maracanã, but not the Final: if his team-mates can preserve their advantage without him, he will have the opportunity to play for the title in his home country.
Gómez entered the Semi-finals as one of the five players with the most carries ending in the opposition penalty area since the start of the competition, with 21, and represented Colombia at the World Cup in June. His three compatriots in Pedro Emanuel's squad did not feature in Buenos Aires: Johan Rojas has one goal and one assist to his name; Carlos Cuesta has played 623 minutes and scored once in seven starts; and Marino Hinestroza has accumulated 461 minutes across nine appearances. Having kept clean sheets in eight of their 13 matches in this edition, just one short of Estudiantes' record in 2023, Vasco are defending a lead that could take all four Colombians to Barranquilla.
On the other side, Boca need to win in Rio de Janeiro, and both of their Colombian players joined the club this year. Álvaro Montero had been recommended to the Xeneize in 2020 by Óscar Córdoba, another Colombian goalkeeper who became a legend at the club, but the move only materialised in mid-2026, following Agustín Marchesín's injury. He had previously played for Deportes Tolima, Millonarios and Vélez Sarsfield. "For me, he's the goalkeeper who will make a very significant impact at Boca," said Córdoba after the first leg of the Quarter-finals. Standing 2.01 metres tall, Montero has played every minute of Boca's CONMEBOL Sudamericana campaign.
Sebastián Villa, in his second spell at the club and with one goal and two assists in this edition, came on in the 58th minute and, alongside Miguel Merentiel, added a more direct attacking threat to a team that, after gaining a numerical advantage, registered eight shots to none and enjoyed 83% possession, but managed just one shot on target.
The equation is simple. If Vasco preserve their lead on Tuesday at the Maracanã, four Colombians will have the chance to contest the Final in their home country, including Gómez. If Boca overturn the deficit, Montero and Villa will have that opportunity instead. And on Wednesday, in Montevideo, Castaño and Cassierra will be defending a 3-0 advantage. For all eight players, the Final would be on home soil.
