San Lorenzo were seconds away from completing a Copa Libertadores round in which all 5 Argentine sides claimed wins, a feat not managed since April 2008. Sadly for El Ciclon a late penalty in Quito, which sparked a near brawl at full time, meant Independiente del Valle salvaged a point. A result which leaves the fate of San Lorenzo out of their hands ahead of the final group game. There was better news for Argentina’s other 4 representatives, Arsenal booked their place in the knockout stages for the first time in the clubs history with a 3-1 away to Deportivo Anzoátegui in Venezuela, Newell’s Old Boys defeated Nacional 4-2 in Uruguay to leave just a point needed to progress and Vélez Sarsfield visited Brazilian Group 1 rivals, Atlético Paranaense and came away with a 3-1 win to top the group. On Thursday, Lanus kept their hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Cerro Porteño and create the tightest of groups ahead of the final fixture. Lanus top Group 3 but with a point separating all 4 sides, a result is needed when they travel to Chile to face O’Higgins on April 8th. WATCH ALL THE GOALS HERE….

Deportivo Anzoátegui  1 – 3  Arsenal Perhaps for the first time, Arsenal were drawn in a group that they confident they could navigate their way out of, and Wednesday’s win in Venezuela ensured that for the first time they would be in the knockout stages. Matías Sánchez’s wonderful long range strike set them on their way and although Rolando Escobar equalised after the break, goals from Martín Rolle and Matías Zaldivia sent Arsenal into the next round. The final match against Santos Laguna on April 10th is now a dead rubber with the Mexican side already guaranteed top spot but a win in Sarandi would improve Arsenal’s seeding.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Santos Laguna	5	4	1	0	11	2	+9	13
Arsenal	5	3	0	2	8	4	+4	9
Peñarol	5	1	1	3	4	9	−5	4
Deportivo Anzoátegui	5	0	2	3	3	11	−8	2

Nacional  2 – 4  Newell’s Old Boys Newell’s still have work to do and will need to see off Atlético Nacional in Rosario on April 10th but an overdue away win has left them in with a good shot. When Juan Mascia blasted Nacional in front, things didn’t look good for Newell’s, who have found goals very hard to come by on the road. However, Alexis Castro’s smart turn and volley brought them level before half time. Marcos Cáceres smashed Newell’s in front before Andrés Scotti pulled Nacional back level from the penalty spot. With time running out, David Trezeguet came off the bench and scored twice to set up a tense final round.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Newell’s Old Boys	5	2	2	1	9	4	+5	8
Grêmio	4	2	2	0	5	1	+4	8
Atlético Nacional	4	2	1	1	4	5	−1	7
Nacional	5	0	1	4	4	12	−8	1

Atlético Paranaense  1 – 3  Vélez Sarsfield Vélez are guaranteed of their place in the next round after an impressive win in Brazil. Agustín Allione brilliantly gave Vélez the lead and despite Dráusio Salla Gil heading Paranaense level, superb strikes from Lucas Pratto and Héctor Canteros made certain of the victory.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Vélez Sarsfield	5	4	0	1	8	3	+5	12
Atlético Paranaense	5	3	0	2	6	5	+1	9
The Strongest	5	2	1	2	6	6	0	7
Universitario	5	0	1	4	3	9	−6	1

Lanus  2 – 0  Cerro Porteño Amid a torrential downpour in Buenos Aires, Lanus clawed themselves back into Libertadores contention with a crucial win over Cerro Porteño. Carlos Araujo’s deflected strike gave Lanus a 72nd minute lead and Oscar Benitez’s 90th minute header set up a huge final round in Group 3. Lanus, Cerro Porteño and Deportivo Cali all have 7 points while O’Higgins trail by just a point. With Lanus travelling to Chile to face O’Higgins for the final game, it a winner takes all match.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Lanús	5	2	1	2	6	5	+1	7
Cerro Porteño	5	2	1	2	7	7	0	7
Deportivo Cali	5	2	1	2	4	5	−1	7
O’Higgins	5	1	3	1	5	5	0	6

Independiente del Valle  1 – 1  San Lorenzo San Lorenzo threw away another 3 points and now leave their hopes of qualification in the balance. Nicolas Blandi headed San Lorenzo into a second half lead and it appeared as though it would be enough to earn the win but deep into stoppage time Emanuel Más was adjudged to have bundled over Fernando Guerrero and Junior Sornoza converted the penalty. The full whistle was blown seconds later and police had to protect the referee from San Lorenzo players and staff. The result means that San Lorenzo are the only Argentine side who are dependent on other results. They host Botafogo on the final night and will be praying for a win and anything other than a Unión Española victory when they play Independiente del Valle.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Botafogo	4	2	1	1	5	3	+2	7
Unión Española	4	1	3	0	5	4	+1	6
Independiente del Valle	5	1	2	2	5	6	−1	5
San Lorenzo	5	1	2	2	3	5	−2	5