Botafogo (foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
Botafogo suffered one of its heaviest defeats in recent history as Cienciano destroyed the Brazilian giants 6-1 in the high altitude of Cusco.
Spremljajte Nogomanio kot prednostni vir na Googlu
Dodajte Nogomanio med priljubjene vire v Google News in
prejemajte najpomembnejše nogometne novice med prvimi.
Botafogo travelled to Peru as clear favourites on paper. They returned from the pitch in Cusco after experiencing one of the biggest nightmares in the club's recent history.
At approximately 3,400 metres above sea level, Cienciano produced a sensational performance to defeat the Brazilian giants 6-1 in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie.
The warnings about playing at the Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium proved fully justified. Botafogo struggled badly with the demanding conditions and the intensity of their opponents from the opening minutes.
The result was historic for all the wrong reasons. Botafogo had not conceded six goals in a single match for 16 years.
Four goals in just 34 minutes
Cienciano immediately put the visitors under enormous pressure and ruthlessly exploited their problems.
The Peruvian side scored four goals inside 34 minutes, effectively deciding the match before half-time.
Matías Succar struck twice, while Neri Bandiera and Marcos Martinich also found the net as a stunned Botafogo headed into the dressing room 4-0 down.
Anyone expecting a Brazilian response after the break was quickly disappointed.
Cienciano continued attacking and added another two goals, with Succar and Bandiera finding the net again. Botafogo's only consolation came through Matheus Martins.
The final score of 6-1 completed an extraordinary evening for the Peruvian club and left Botafogo facing an almost impossible task in the return leg.
Botafogo haven't experienced anything like this since 2010
The last time Botafogo conceded six goals came back in 2010, when city rivals Vasco da Gama defeated them 6-0 in the Campeonato Carioca.
Sixteen years later, another six-goal humiliation has arrived, this time on the continental stage and under the extreme conditions of the Peruvian Andes.
The second leg will take place next Thursday at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Botafogo now requires an extraordinary comeback. They must win by five goals to take the tie to penalties, while a victory by six goals would send them directly into the next round.