Cienciano Rout Botafogo 6-1, Place Four Players on Sudamericana Team of the Week

Six goals in one night is not something you see every day, especially not against a Brazilian opponent in a round of 16 first leg. What Cienciano did to Botafogo in Cusco was so emphatic that CONMEBOL had no choice but to stack its team of the week with red and white shirts.

The Garcilaso's 6-1 win produced a scene that will be hard to repeat: four players from "Papa" made the ideal lineup for the first leg of the Sudamericana's round of 16, something no other club managed on this matchday. Boca Juniors, with two players, ended up as the second best represented club, but nowhere close to Cienciano's four.

The standout performer of the night was Matias Succar, who scored a hat trick that was more than enough to earn him a forward's spot on the team. But he wasn't the only one smiling with the ball at his feet: Neri Bandiera netted a brace and also punched his ticket. Argentine defender Marcos Martinich, who doesn't usually get forward, unleashed a long range strike that put the game out of reach.

And then there's Alejandro Hohberg, who didn't even need to score to make the list. The midfielder handed out three assists in the match, one for each of Cienciano's scorers. That stat says more about his night than any goal could: he pulled the strings behind the rout from start to finish.

A lineup spread across several countries

Rounding out the full ideal lineup are names from other clubs that also left their mark in the first leg of the round of 16: Gaston Olveira (Olimpia) in goal; Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo) and Willian Arao (Santos) on defense alongside Martinich; Franco Pizzichillo (Montevideo City Torque) and Santiago Ascacibar (Boca Juniors) joining Bandiera and Hohberg in midfield; and up front, alongside Succar, Leonel Flores (Boca Juniors) and Tomas Cuello (Atletico Mineiro).

With this result, Cienciano can dream of reaching the Sudamericana quarterfinals, a spot that will be settled in the second leg in Rio de Janeiro. The five goal cushion gives them a huge margin, though no one in Cusco is taking it easy: Botafogo is the kind of opponent that can complicate any series if given room to breathe.

The second leg between Botafogo and Cienciano is set for Thursday, August 20, at 9:30 p.m. (Argentina/Uruguay), 8:30 p.m. (Chile) and 7:30 p.m. (Colombia/Peru/Ecuador), with live coverage on DSports.