São Paulo, with goals from Paraguayan Damián Bobadilla and Argentine Jonathan Calleri, defeated Nacional 2-0 in a tumultuous match, eliminating the Uruguayan team and advancing to the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, where they will face fellow Brazilian side Botafogo.

The clear dominance of São Paulo was overshadowed by two lengthy interruptions during the match: the first caused by a scuffle among Nacional fans and the second by the sudden collapse of Uruguayan defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo, who had to be taken out of the stadium in an ambulance and transferred to a hospital.

The team led by Argentine coach Luis Zubeldía needed a win by any margin at home to reach the quarterfinals after securing a valuable 0-0 draw away last week in Montevideo in the first leg of the round of 16.

Their opponent in the next round will be Botafogo, the current leader of the Brazilian Championship, who eliminated Palmeiras on Wednesday. Palmeiras had been one of the favorites for the title, having won the Libertadores in 2020 and 2021 and reached the semifinals in 2022 and 2023.

São Paulo, three-time Libertadores champions, started attacking from the first minute and were the clear dominators in the first half, controlling 77% of the ball possession and taking nine shots on goal compared to three by Nacional.

In addition to maintaining their offensive pressure, the home team completely neutralized Nacional, who barely created any chances and had only one clear opportunity to score, with Lucas Sanabria on the right side.

With their dominance, São Paulo patiently waited for openings and finally broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when, after a back pass from Calleri, Bobadilla struck from outside the box, placing the ball in the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Luis Mejía with no chance.

São Paulo needed only two minutes of the second half to extend their lead when Calleri headed in a cross from Wellington Rato from the right.

After the second goal, the match had to be suspended for six minutes due to a brawl in the section of the stadium reserved for Nacional fans, who clashed with the police and tore out some plastic seats. The Uruguayan players themselves had to intervene to calm their supporters.

After the interruption, São Paulo opted to manage their lead and allowed Nacional more possession, but without any real threat, while the Brazilians played on the counterattack.

In the 70th minute, in Nacional's clearest chance, Pereyra hit the right post of Rafael’s goal and was blocked at the last moment from capitalizing on the rebound.

The Uruguayans, with a revamped attack after the introduction of Nico López, Nicolás Rodríguez, and Diego Herazo, got closer and had new opportunities in the 79th minute with a shot inside the box by Herazo that went over the crossbar, and in the 80th minute with a free kick by Nico López that Rafael had to work hard to save.

But just when Nacional was at their best, Izquierdo's collapse in the middle of the field in the final minute of regulation time cooled the game down and left the Uruguayan team visibly shaken, with almost no response in the 15 minutes of added time given by the referee.