Santos suffered elimination from the 2026 Copa Sudamericana after losing a penalty shootout 3-1 to Atlético Mineiro on Wednesday at the Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte, according to match reports from Flashscore. The club fell short in the quarterfinals as goalkeeper Gabriel Delfim blocked three of Santos’s four penalty attempts to secure the host’s return to the tournament’s semifinals for the second year.
Atlético Mineiro Advances After Dramatic Late Comeback
Atlético Mineiro overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit by winning Wednesday’s return match 4-2, leveling the aggregate score before the decisive shootout. According to Flashscore, Bernard opened the scoring for Mineiro just thirty seconds into the match, and Reinier added a second goal in the 20th minute. Lyanco put in an own goal for Santos in the 30th minute to narrow the gap, but Reinier restored Mineiro’s two-goal cushion with his second strike in the 41st minute.
Santos fought back when Gabigol scored in the 72nd minute, a goal that temporarily put the visiting side ahead on aggregate. However, Tomás Cuello scored for Atlético Mineiro in the 90+2′ minute, heading past his marker to tie the aggregate score at 4-4 and force the match into penalties. “Extrema felicidad” (Extreme happiness) for qualifying, stated match hero Gabriel Delfim after the shootout, according to Flashscore. Eduardo Domínguez manages the Mineiro squad.
Semifinal Matchups Set for the Copa Sudamericana
Atlético Mineiro advances to face the winner of the quarterfinal series between Peru’s Cienciano and Uruguay’s Montevideo City Torque, according to Flashscore. Cienciano won the first leg 2-0 at 3,400 meters of altitude in Cusco, while Montevideo City Torque will host the return match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo under coach Marcelo Méndez.
The other semifinal pairing features Boca Juniors against Vasco da Gama, scheduled for October after both clubs secured their progression on Tuesday, as reported by Flashscore. Boca Juniors drew 1-1 away against São Paulo at the Morumbi Stadium, advancing 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-0 victory in the first leg. Leandro Lozano scored for Boca in the 60th minute, dedicating his strike to the memory of former teammate Juan Izquierdo, who died at age 27 following a cardiac arrhythmia during a match at the same stadium in August 2024. Domingos Duarte equalized for São Paulo in the 89th minute.
Vasco da Gama defeated Colombia’s Independiente Santa Fe 2-0 in Rio de Janeiro to reach their first international tournament semifinal since 2011. Vasco manager Pedro Emanuel highlighted the achievement, noting the importance of reaching this stage of an international cup after a 15-year absence, according to Flashscore.