Botafogo without Carvalho and facing mission impossible against Cienciano in the Sudamericana

Losing 6-1 hurts. Losing 6-1 and then dropping a match days later in the domestic league is too much for any coach to survive. That is exactly what happened to Franclim Carvalho, dismissed by Botafogo on Tuesday night, just two days before the team has to try to overturn that result against Cienciano in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.

The match is this Thursday, August 20, at the Nilton Santos, kicking off at 9:30 p.m. in Argentina and Uruguay, 8:30 p.m. in Chile, and 7:30 p.m. in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The task facing Botafogo is the kind that gets remembered no matter how things turn out: the club needs to win by six goals to advance to the quarterfinals, or by five to force the tie to penalties.

Carvalho's exit was not an isolated surprise. His assistants Luís Felipe and Mauro Moderno left with him, along with fitness coach Fábio Monteiro and goalkeeping coach Ricardo Matos. The club's statement followed the usual script for these situations: thanks for services rendered and best wishes for the future. Nothing anyone couldn't have predicted.

What stands out is that Carvalho's numbers were not bad. He arrived in early April to replace Martín Anselmi and leaves with a 60.6 percent win rate: 10 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses. But Brazilian soccer does not forgive a rout like the one suffered in Peru, especially not when it's followed by a 1-0 loss to Vitória in Salvador. In the Brasileirão, Botafogo sits 11th with 45 points, far from what is expected of a club with its recent history.

Taking charge of the team for this crucial match will be Rodrigo Bellão, currently in charge of Botafogo's under-20 squad. It's a trial by fire, with no margin for error and the burden of reversing a tie that already looked all but decided.

Succar, the other protagonist of the story

On the other side is Matías Succar, who was the standout figure in that 6-1 rout that changed the course of the tie. The Cienciano forward arrives for the second leg with his confidence fully intact.

I'm happy. It was a dream for me and for the whole team that night.Matías Succar

The weekend was not as bright: Cienciano drew 0-0 with Deportivo Garcilaso and Succar picked up the first red card of his career. Even so, he chose to look ahead.

I'm not going to dwell on what happened, it's the first red card of my career, that's life, it gives and it takes away. Now I'm already thinking about Brazil.Matías Succar

The forward also looked back on his time at Alianza Lima, where he never quite found consistency but keeps good memories: "I'm very grateful to the Alianza fans, even though things didn't go so well for me on the field. I lived through incredible moments, really beautiful moments," he said, and he was candid with those who criticized him over that stretch, saying he felt it was unfair to judge him for a season without continuity.

With the Peru national team on the horizon and only one match played so far, Succar prefers not to get ahead of himself: "you have to take it step by step," he repeats. For now, his present is in Cuzco, happy wearing the Cienciano jersey and one step away from putting his team into the Sudamericana quarterfinals against a Botafogo side that arrives, literally, without a head coach for the rematch.