Cienciano crushed Botafogo 6-1 in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round of 16 tie at the Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega on Thursday.
Matías Succar scored a hat-trick for the Peruvian hosts, while Neri Bandiera added a double and Marcos Martinich also found the net in a dominant home victory. Matheus Martins scored the sole goal for Brazil's Botafogo from a direct free-kick.
The result gives the Cusco side a five-goal lead heading into the return leg in Brazil, putting them in prime position to advance to the quarter-finals against either Tigre or Montevideo City Torque.
Prior to the match, authorities discovered 86 kilograms of marijuana hidden inside the bus that was scheduled to transport the Botafogo squad from Sao Paulo.
First half goal blitz
Cienciano opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Alejandro Hohberg delivered a cross for Matías Succar to head past Botafogo goalkeeper Warleson.
Neri Bandiera doubled the lead two minutes later in the 20th minute, finishing off a team move. The goal was subsequently confirmed in the 26th minute following an extensive video assistant referee review.
Succar capitalized on a mistake by Warleson in the 30th minute to make it 3-0, taking advantage after the goalkeeper left the ball loose inside the penalty area.
Marcos Martinich extended Cienciano's lead to 4-0 in the 35th minute with a strike from distance before the half-time whistle.
Botafogo made two early substitutions in the 37th minute, bringing on Kauan Toledo for Álvaro Montoro and Arthur Cabral for Kadir Barria. Following eight minutes of added time, Hohberg came close to a fifth when his long-range effort brushed past the left post in the 48th minute of the first half.
Second half action and hat-trick
Cienciano replaced Juan Romagnoli with Ademar Robles at the start of the second half, with Robles receiving a yellow card in the 46th minute shortly after entering the pitch.
Botafogo pulled a goal back in the 49th minute when Matheus Martins scored from a free-kick to make the score 4-1.
Bandiera went down inside the Botafogo penalty box in the 51st minute, but the referee signaled that no foul had occurred. Bandiera then forced a save from Warleson with a long-range shot in the 56th minute.
Botafogo substituted Alex Telles on for Marcal in the 57th minute, and Arthur Cabral nearly responded for the visitors a minute later when his shot narrowly missed Ítalo Espinoza's left post.
Bandiera scored his second of the match in the 62nd minute, finishing a pass from Hohberg to put Cienciano 5-1 ahead. Botafogo responded in the 64th minute by replacing Cristian Medina and Danilo Santos with Santiago Rodríguez and Edenilson.
Late goals and closing minutes
Hohberg fired wide from outside the box in the 65th minute, before Cienciano brought on Henry Caparo for Bandiera in the 70th minute. Caparo attempted a long-range effort in the 76th minute that sailed off target.
Succar completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute, connecting with a right-wing cross from Cristian Souza to make it 6-1 for the Peruvian side.
Botafogo defender Gabriel Justino received a yellow card in the 86th minute. Cienciano made further tactical changes, bringing on Gonzalo Aguirre for Gerson Barreto in the 87th minute and Ray Sandoval for Souza in the 90th minute.
During three minutes of stoppage time, Botafogo's Edenilson had a goal disallowed for offside in the 91st minute after the assistant referee raised his flag, leaving the final score at 6-1.
Team news and squad details
Cienciano entered the match missing key forward Carlos Garcés and Santiago Arias due to suspension from accumulated yellow cards. Succar started in place of Garcés, who had been a regular starter in previous matches.
Cienciano fielded Ítalo Espinoza in goal behind a defense of Claudio Núñez, Kevin Becerra, Maximiliano Amondaraín, and Marcos Martinich. Gerson Barreto and Juan Romagnoli anchored the midfield, with Cristian Souza, Alejandro Hohberg, and Neri Bandiera supporting Succar.
Botafogo lined up with Warleson in goal, supported by Mateo Ponte, Nahuel Ferraresi, Gabriel Justino, and Marcal in defense. Huguinho, Cristian Medina, Danilo Santos, Álvaro Montoro, and Matheus Martins formed the midfield behind striker Kadir Barria.
Pre-match background and match officials
The fixture was officiated by an Ecuadorian refereeing team led by head referee Augusto Aragón, assisted by Christian Lescano and Mauricio Lozada, with Oswaldo Contreras serving as fourth official. Franklin Congo oversaw the video assistant referee duties alongside assistant VAR Kevin Pazmiño.
Ahead of kick-off at the 42,000-capacity Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, local authorities opened stadium doors at 4:30 p.m. local time. Cienciano issued guidelines prohibiting fans from bringing advertising materials, promotional items, or pyrotechnics into the venue.
Botafogo entered the match unbeaten in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana group stage with five wins and one draw, and held a historical record of four wins and four draws against Peruvian opponents in South American competition. Cienciano maintained their unbeaten home record in the tournament at altitude in Cusco, having previously eliminated Argentine side Lanús in the playoff round.
