Everything had gone very well for Argentine clubs in the final round of the Copa Libertadores group stage with Arsenal and Vélez already into the knockout rounds and then San Lorenzo and Lanús getting the wins required to follow them. However, late on Thursday evening in Rosario, Newell’s Old Boys were also in need of a win against Colombian side, Atlético Nacional and unfortunately their recent slump continued. A 3-1 defeat not only ended their Libertadores dreams but prompted the resignation of Coach, Alfredo Berti. READ MORE AND WATCH ALL THE GOALS….

Vélez Sarsfield  1 – 0  Universitario
Vélez hosted Peru’s, Universitario in Liniers safe in the knowledge they were already through but keen to earn another 3 points and qualify as the top seeds for the next stage. The privileged position allowed José Flores to rest some of his star players but those that stepped in had enough to see off Los Cremas. Roberto Nanni made up for his first half penalty miss to score the winner 7 minutes after the break.
Vélez go through as group winners and with 15 points, as the top seeds meaning that they will face Nacional of Paraguay, as the lowest seeded group runners up.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Vélez Sarsfield	6	5	0	1	9	3	+6	15
The Strongest	6	3	1	2	8	7	+1	10
Atlético Paranaense	6	3	0	3	7	7	0	9
Universitario	6	0	1	5	3	10	−7	1

O’Higgins  0 – 0  Lanús
It may have been goalless but it certainly didn’t lack drama as Lanús got the point that was needed to qualify at the expense of their opponents. The final fifteen minutes saw two red cards, a Santiago Silva moment of insanity and a saved penalty but Lanús prevailed.
Frankly, it’s easier to just watch the events unfold as there is no way to accurately describe just how mental Santiago Silva is.
Cerro Porteño’s win over Deportivo Cali meant that the Paraguayans took top spot and Lanús pipped the other two sides to the runners up spot in what was the tightest of groups.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Cerro Porteño	6	3	1	2	10	9	+1	10
Lanús	6	2	2	2	6	5	+1	8
O’Higgins	6	1	4	1	5	5	0	7
Deportivo Cali	6	2	1	3	6	8	−2	7

San Lorenzo  3 – 0  Botafogo
In another of the tightest groups, San Lorenzo got the win needed over rivals, Botafogo in the Nuevo Gasómetro but were still left to sweat over Independiente del Valle’s thrilling 5-4 victory over group winners, Unión Española.
Héctor Villalba’s deflected strike gave San Lorenzo the lead and after half time, Ignacio Piatti rifled in a second from the edge of the box before adding a third late on.
The results meant that El Ciclón sneaked through on goal difference.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Unión Española	6	2	3	1	10	9	+1	9
San Lorenzo	6	2	2	2	6	5	+1	8
Independiente del Valle	6	2	2	2	10	10	0	8
Botafogo	6	2	1	3	5	7	−2	7

 Arsenal de Sarandí  3 – 0  Santos Laguna
Group 8 was already decided before group winners, Santos travelled to face runners up, Arsenal but with seedings at stake there was still an incentive to win.
Arsenal have obviously put all their eggs in the Libertadores basket as their domestic form has suffered but this latest victory makes them the strongest runners up.
A fine finish from Emilio Zelaya set Arsenal on their way and second half goals by Mariano Echeverría and a Marc Crosas own goal ensured a strong finish to the group stages and the higest possible seeding given Santos’ strong performance up until now in the tournament.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Santos Laguna	6	4	1	1	11	5	+6	13
Arsenal	6	4	0	2	11	4	+7	12
Peñarol	6	1	2	3	5	10	−5	5
Deportivo Anzoátegui	6	0	3	3	4	12	−8	3

Newell’s Old Boys  1 – 3  Atlético Nacional
Following defeat in the Clasico Rosarino and now a early exit in the Libertadores it comes as little surprise that Alfredo Berti has parted ways with Newell’s. A team boasting current internationals, Maxi Rodriguez and Ever Banega and a style of play that has them regularly called the best team in Argentina it comes as a shock that it is Newell’s who are the sole Argentine side not to be in the knockout stages.
A disastrous opening few minutes saw a red card for both sides and then a Nahuel Guzman error allowed Santiago Trellez to give the Colombian’s the lead and after just 13 minutes it was doubled. Sherman Cárdenas’, who it appears is not as good as my Football Manager game from 2008 suggested, made it two with a deflected effort and although Milton Casco pulled one back minutes later it was a dreadful night in Rosario. Orlando Berrío ensured the victory for Nacional and booked their place in the next round as the group runners up.
In the aftermath of the match, Alfredo Berti, who had replaced Barcelona boss, Tata Martino said, “Today my link with Newell’s ends.  Given that this run of results wasn’t good, I’ve decided to step aside.” Under Martino, Newell’s reached the Semi Final last year in addition to winning the Torneo Final and so this is a big failure. Ricardo Lunari will take charge of the side for the timebeing.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Grêmio	6	4	2	0	8	1	+7	14
Atlético Nacional	6	3	1	2	7	8	−1	10
Newell’s Old Boys	6	2	2	2	10	7	+3	8
Nacional	6	0	1	5	4	13	−9	1

The Last 16 (seeding in brackets)

León (11)  Vs  Bolivar (6)
Lanús (14)  Vs  Santos Laguna (3)
Cruziero (10)  Vs  Cerro Porteño (7)
San Lorenzo (15)  Vs  Grêmio (2)
The Strongest (12)  Vs  Defensor Sporting (5)
Atlético Nacional (13)  Vs  Atlético Mineiro (4)
Arsenal (9)  Vs  Unión Española (8)
Nacional (16)  Vs  Vélez Sarsfield (1)