- 'El Ídolo' of Ambato are banking on the 2,500 meters of the Bellavista to overturn the 2-1 from Vila Belmiro and reach an unprecedented quarterfinal for the club.
- Santos travel with the Neymar-Gabigol partnership in full flow and a historic endorsement: they progressed in 11 of the last 12 ties in which they won the first leg at home.
The altitude of Ambato as the last bastion. Macará host Santos at 2,500 meters trailing the tie 2-1, after a first leg at Vila Belmiro loaded with symbolism: Gabriel Barbosa's 100th goal in the 'Peixe' shirt and a comeback conducted by Neymar, provider of two assists.
'El Ídolo' of Ambato had struck first — a Mateo Viera run down the flank and a Franco Posse finish in the 5th minute of the first half — and left Brazil alive thanks to their goalkeeper: Rodrigo Rodríguez tipped away, in the dying seconds, a Neymar free kick that was heading into the top corner. That save could be worth a place in the next round.
Macará in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
The unbeaten Group A leaders now face the most important match of their continental history: they had never made it past the tournament's early stages and today they stand 90 minutes from an unthinkable quarterfinal. Guillermo Sanguinetti's Uruguayan spine — Rodríguez, Santiago Etchebarne and Posse — and the push of their fans at the Bellavista are the weapons of the dream.
Santos travel with the slimmest of leads and one absence: Gabriel Escobar will be unavailable through suspension. But the 'Peixe' have their brightest partnership in full flow — the 10 and the 9 combined for all three Santos goals on Thursday, two of them disallowed — and a historic motivation: advancing would mean equaling their best-ever run in the tournament and staying in the race for the only major continental crown they lack.
Santos defend the 2-1: a two-goal win takes Macará through directly; a one-goal victory that levels the aggregate will send the tie to penalties.
Santos in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026: results, squad and schedule
Match details:
Stadium: Bellavista, Ambato
Date and time: Thursday, August 20 at 5:00 p.m. (Ecuador time)
Referee: Cristian Garay (CHI)
VAR: Rodrigo Carvajal (CHI)
Match facts:
- Santos progressed in 11 of the last 12 CONMEBOL ties in which they won the first leg at home, though the only exception is the most recent case: the 2021 Sudamericana quarterfinals, when they were eliminated by Libertad.
- Ecuadorian teams are unbeaten in their last 13 home matches against Brazilian opponents in CONMEBOL knockout stages (W8 D5). The last defeat in the head-to-head dates back to the 2021 Libertadores, when Flamengo beat Barcelona 2-0 in the semifinal second leg.
- Gabigol (Santos) has scored in four consecutive matches in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2026. If he finds the net again against Macará, the Brazilian striker will equal his longest scoring streak in CONMEBOL competitions, achieved with Flamengo between 2020 and 2021. During that run, he scored twice away to an Ecuadorian team (a brace against Liga de Quito).
- Santos average 3.8 passes per sequence in the current CONMEBOL Sudamericana, the second-highest figure among teams that have played at least three matches in this edition, behind only Boca (4).
- Franco Posse, scorer of Macará's goal in the first leg against Santos, is looking to become the first player from the Ecuadorian club to score more than three goals in CONMEBOL competitions. He is currently tied with Michael Estrada (3).
