Fluminense Beats Bolívar 2-1 and Stays Alive in Libertadores

Fluminense beat Bolívar 2-1 on Tuesday and kept its libertadores campaign alive. The win leaves Luis Zubeldía’s side with a route to the next phase, but not full control of its fate.

Maracanã Keeps Fluminense Alive

John Kennedy summed up the equation after the match in one line: “Trocaria gols pelos pontos”. Fluminense got the three points it needed to stay in the hunt, and that was the difference after a group stage that started badly.

The result mattered because Fluminense had already drawn 0-0 with La Guaira in Venezuela, lost 2-1 to Independiente Rivadavia at the Maracanã, and gone down 2-0 to Bolívar in Bolivia before drawing with Independiente Rivadavia in Argentina after falling behind. Tuesday’s 2-1 win gave the team a chance to turn that opening stretch around, but it also left a narrow path.

Group C Equation For Zubeldía

Fluminense will qualify if it beats La Guaira at the Maracanã and Bolívar drops points against Independiente Rivadavia. If Independiente Rivadavia wins or draws on Thursday in Venezuela, Fluminense will stay ahead of La Guaira before the last round. If Bolívar wins its final match, Fluminense is out even with a victory over La Guaira.

Bolívar still holds the head-to-head edge after beating Fluminense 2-0 at home earlier in the group stage, so the Brazilian side cannot rely on the Tuesday win alone. That is the part Zubeldía’s team has not escaped: the standings now depend on what happens away from Rio as much as what happens at the Maracanã.

Independiente Rivadavia Awaits

Independiente Rivadavia and La Guaira meet in Venezuela on Thursday, and that result will shape the final round on the 27th. A Fluminense auxiliary put the situation in simple terms: “Nada é impossível”. The margin is tight, but the door is still open if the right combination arrives.