- Vasco da Gama came from behind in a tie that began in difficult fashion against Olimpia away from home to secure their place in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana quarter-finals.
- The side managed by Portuguese coach Pedro Emanuel showcased their attacking firepower to win 4-1, following a goalless draw in the first leg in Rio de Janeiro.
The Cruzmaltino side, who reached the Round of 16 after overcoming Independiente Medellín in the Playoffs, took another step forward in the Gran Conquista with an unforgettable night in Asunción: Matus had put Olimpia ahead, but Thiago Mendes, David, Adson and Claudio Spinelli all found the net to complete the comeback and send the visitors through.
Roared on by a packed Defensores del Chaco, Olimpia made the brighter start to the decisive tie against Vasco da Gama. Young Paraguayan forward Romeo Benítez tested Leo Jardim in the opening minutes.
That chance proved to be a sign of things to come. Chilean Esteban Matus produced an excellent individual move which ended in a stunning goal: he spun away from Andrés Gómez's challenge before unleashing a long-range effort into the goalkeeper's top-right corner.
Matus, who joined from Audax Italiano less than a month ago, had been an opponent of Olimpia's during the Group Stage. On his 20th appearance in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, he put his stamp on the match with an unforgettable strike that gave Pablo Sánchez's side the lead in front of their home supporters.
But the Cruzmaltino side responded quickly. Thiago Mendes put the finishing touch to an excellent team move: he exchanged passes with David before placing his finish inside the post and beyond the reach of Gastón Olveira, who had been the standout performer in the goalless first leg. The equaliser gave Vasco fresh momentum and shifted the momentum of the tie. On 35 minutes, this time from the right, a precise cross from José Luis Rodríguez found David, who bundled the ball home with his chest to make it 2-1.
Jardim came to the fore again at the start of the second half, with Olimpia needing to find a result to keep their continental dream alive. Once again, the experienced Brazilian goalkeeper came out on top in his duel with Romeo Benítez.
The difference between the two sides was their efficiency. The Rio de Janeiro outfit made the most of their opportunities and punished Olimpia every time they reached the opposition box. Adson extended the lead on 25 minutes of the second half, opening up his left foot to make it 3-1.
Late on, Argentine Claudio Spinelli headed home following an excellent cross from 'Pumita' Rodríguez to make it 4-1 to the Brazilian side.
Vasco da Gama will face the winners of the tie between River Plate and Independiente Santa Fe in the quarter-finals. The two sides will decide their tie next Wednesday in Buenos Aires, following a goalless draw in the first leg.
The match in numbers:
- Vasco da Gama have reached the quarter-finals of a CONMEBOL competition for the first time since the 2012 CONMEBOL Libertadores. It is the first time in their history in these tournaments that they have progressed from a knockout tie by winning the second leg away from home after failing to win the first leg (0-0).
- David of Vasco da Gama became the first Brazilian to score in a CONMEBOL Sudamericana knockout round with a part of his body other than his feet or head since Atlético Mineiro's Réver against La Equidad in the 2019 quarter-finals.
- Vasco da Gama are the team with the most instances of a player scoring and providing an assist in the same match in CONMEBOL competitions this season: three, level with Academia Puerto Cabello. Adson has achieved the feat twice and David once, with this being his first such performance in these competitions.
- Thiago Mendes is Vasco da Gama's oldest midfielder to score in a CONMEBOL competition since at least 2013, aged 34 years and 158 days. The move that led to his goal originated with his sixth pass into the final third, a team-high figure at that point in the match (29 minutes).
- Adson, alongside Gabriel Barbosa of Santos and Carlos Garcés of Cienciano, is the player to have been involved in the most goals in the current CONMEBOL Sudamericana: seven (four goals and three assists) in eight matches, two more than his total across his previous 22 appearances in the competition (five goal involvements, with two goals and three assists).
- Esteban Matus scored from a chance with just the sixth-lowest expected goals (xG) value in the current CONMEBOL Sudamericana. He also became the first Olimpia defender to score from outside the box in the competition since Sergio Otálvaro against Nacional in August 2017.
