Cienciano avoids sanctions after tunnel brawl: only Botafogo's Allan Marques cited

The final whistle in Cusco should have meant nothing but celebration. Cienciano had done the job on the field, eliminating Botafogo with a 6-2 aggregate score to reach the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana. But the last play of the night wasn't a goal or a save. It was a scuffle in the locker room tunnel that left Horacio Melgarejo caught in the middle of the scrum.

Footage that circulated after the match showed Botafogo players approaching Cienciano's locker room as tensions boiled over. The scene set off alarm bells in Cusco: would it be enough to get a player, or even Melgarejo himself, ruled out of the quarterfinals?

The answer came days later, when the report Paraguayan referee Juan Benitez sent to Conmebol after the match became public. It was good news for the "Papa": neither Melgarejo nor any Cienciano player was named in the official's findings. Cameras had shown the Cusco squad gradually leaving the field without joining the altercation, and that was reflected in the report.

Allan Marques, the only one cited

The referee's report points exclusively to Brazilian midfielder Allan Marques for violent conduct. According to the record, backed by the testimony of defender Kevin Becerra, the Botafogo midfielder physically attacked Melgarejo and another member of the Peruvian coaching staff amid the chaos. The prevailing account is that the Cusco players reacted to protect their coach, not to provoke the confrontation.

That detail changes things for Cienciano. With the squad and coaching staff cleared of any sanctions, the club can now focus fully on what's next: the quarterfinal stage of the continental tournament, a stage rarely reached by a club from Cusco on the international scene.

Montevideo City Torque up next

The draw has already set the path: Cienciano will face Uruguay's Montevideo City Torque in the quarterfinals. The first leg is scheduled to be played in Cusco between September 8 and 10, while the return leg will take place in Uruguay a week later.

With the disciplinary chapter closed without any setbacks for Cusco's interests, attention turns back purely to the football. Cienciano arrives at this stage with momentum from a series decisively won against a heavyweight like Botafogo, and will now measure itself against a Uruguayan side also looking to spring a surprise in the Sudamericana.