Clearly harmed by the effects of the 4,200 meter altitude of the city of Potosí, Botafogo was defeated 1-0 by Nacional Potosí (Bolivia), on Wednesday night (18) at the Víctor Agustín Ugarte stadium, in the first leg of the second preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores da América.
⚽🇧🇴 Victory for Bolivian football in the first leg of Phase 2.
⚔️ #NacionalPotosi 🆚 @Botafogo
🏆 CONMEBOL #Libertadores | #EternalGlory pic.twitter.com/OVmcBSMtci
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) February 19, 2026
The setback away from home forces the team led by Argentine coach Martín Anselmi to win in the second leg, which will be played next Wednesday (25), starting at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Nilton Santos stadium, in Rio de Janeiro. A one-goal victory leads to a penalty shootout. Alvinegro de General Severiano can only qualify in regular time with a victory with an advantage of at least two goals.
The match between Botafogo and Nacional Potosí was marked by low technical quality, in particular the low physical performance of the players on both teams due to the effects of the altitude. Even in such an adverse context, scoring opportunities appeared from side to side. And Nacional was more efficient and managed to win with a goal at the beginning of the second half, with full-back Baldomar.
Bahia stumble
Another Brazilian team to stumble away from home this Wednesday in the second preliminary phase of the continental competition is Bahia, which was defeated by a score of 1-0 by O’Higgins (Chile) in a match played at the El Teniente stadium, in Rancagua.
🇨🇱🏆 Chilean advantage in the first game of Phase 2 of CONMEBOL #Libertadores!#EternalGlory pic.twitter.com/D9aWEYEsYQ
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) February 19, 2026
The home team scored the winning goal just three minutes into the first half, with a beautiful shot from striker Francisco González. After this Wednesday’s setback, Bahia needs to defeat O’Higgins, in Salvador next week, by two or more goals difference to advance in regulation time. In the event of a simple victory for the Bahians, whoever qualifies for the third preliminary phase of the Libertadores will be defined by maximum penalties.
