A 10-man Corinthians moved a step closer to securing their place in the Copa Libertadores knockout stage, playing out a 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors on Tuesday.
The draw at the Bombonera means the Timao maintained their one-point lead over Boca in Group E on eight points. Deportivo Cali and Always Ready sit on five and four points respectively, with their game on Thursday awaiting.
Corinthians were looking to absorb from the opening minute and scored with their only shot for the match, with Du Queiroz's attempt following a corner trickling past Agustin Rossi in the 16th minute.
Dario Benedetto scored the equaliser on his birthday three minutes from the interval, but Boca largely could not break Corinthians down, even after the latter went down to ten men.
A lengthy melee and stoppage following Victor Cantillo's straight red also saw Corinthians coach Vitor Pereira given his marching orders, but his side emerged with an important point.
Flamengo coast through to last 16
Flamengo booked their spot in the knockout stage, securing a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Universidad Catolica.
The Rubro-Negro hit the lead in only the seventh minute, with Willian Arao heading home Giorgian de Arrascaeta's corner. Everton Ribeiro doubled the margin six minutes from the interval.
Pedro rounded out the scoring with a fine solo finish in the final minute of regular time, securing the fourth win from five games and a five-point margin atop Group H.
Estudiantes also secure progress
Estudiantes also confirmed passage to the last 16 earlier on Tuesday, claiming a 1-0 win away to second-placed RB Bragantino.
Gustavo del Prete's wonderfully improvised finish in the 77th minute ultimately proved the difference between the two sides in what was otherwise a tightly contested game of little clear chances.
While Estudiantes moved to 13 points from five games, Bragantino's second spot remains within touching distance of Nacional and Velez Sarsfield, who play on Wednesday.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor wishes Ange Postecoglou well at Tottenham
Captain Callum McGregor said goodbye to Ange Postecoglou and hello to Celtic’s next Champions League challenge.
Just three days after the Hoops clinched the domestic treble with a 3-1 Scottish Cup final win over Inverness at Hampden Park, Tottenham appointed the 57-year-old Australian as their new head coach on a four-year deal.
McGregor spoke in glowing terms about Postecoglou on the club’s official website then looked forward to the fruits of his success, a guaranteed place in the group stage of European football’s elite club competition next season.
The Scotland midfielder said: “It has been great to work with the gaffer over the past two seasons and to achieve the success that we have, especially achieving yet another treble at the weekend.
“In fact, to win five out of six domestic trophies is a tremendous achievement and that is testament to the real focus and relentlessness of the manager, the players and our whole backroom team who have all worked so hard.
“I thank all our supporters again for what they have given us this year. The scenes at Hampden and Celtic Park, when we celebrated our success together, will stay with me forever.
“We have delivered something very special to our fans and done it, under the manager’s direction, by playing an exciting and attractive brand of football. As all the players do, I wish Ange great success in his next challenge.
“We move on ourselves to our own challenges too. Our performances this season mean we will take our place deservedly in the Champions League and we can’t wait for it.
“It will be brilliant to have these great nights back at Celtic Park and I am sure our fans are looking forward to experiencing this again, as well as watching us striving to defend all our domestic titles.
“The players will enjoy a well-earned break and when we return we will get right behind the new manager, we will be united and, as ever, will do all we can to bring our fans continued success.”
Ange Postecoglou admits he ‘will forever’ be a Celtic fan after Tottenham move
Ange Postecoglou insists he “will forever” be a Celtic supporter after leaving the Parkhead club for Tottenham.
The London club ended days of speculation by appointing the 57-year-old Australian as their new head coach on a four-year deal.
Postecoglou – who won the domestic treble with the Hoops this season to make it five trophies in two campaigns in charge – replaces Antonio Conte at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In his parting statement on Celtic’s official website, the former Australia manager thanked the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson as well as the supporters as he reviewed his time at the cinch Premiership club.
He said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the club for everything they have given me.
“In particular, Dermot, Peter and Michael and the Celtic Board have shown me tremendous support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this.
“They brought me to the club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them.
“They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore.
“It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters.
“Culminating in the treble at the weekend, my players and backroom team have been brilliant for me on this journey.
“They have given us all some fantastic moments through their energy and effort, creating real quality, winning football.
“Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years.
“My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about and I think we have achieved that.
“Celtic is a phenomenal football club and so much more – and I will forever be a supporter of this great institution. I wish everyone connected with Celtic nothing but continued success.”
Nicholson described Postecoglou as “a great football manager and a good man”, who has “served the club with such energy and determination and delivered a phenomenal level of success”.
He said: “I would like to thank him for all he has given us and I wish Ange and his family the very best for the future in everything they do.
“Of course, we wanted Ange to stay with us at Celtic and while there is real disappointment that we are losing him, he has decided he wants to look at a new challenge, which we respect.
“As treble-winning champions, the club looks ahead with confidence to the future, with many exciting opportunities ahead.”
Lawwell was equally praiseworthy of the former Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F Marinos boss.
He said: “Against any measure, Ange has delivered a fantastic level of success to Celtic and we thank him for his brilliant contribution to the club during the past two years.
“We were delighted to bring Ange to Celtic.
“He is a special manager who has had success wherever he has been and someone who brought to the club attacking, stylish and winning football in the best traditions of Celtic.
“Of course, we are disappointed that Ange has decided to leave the club and we did all we could to keep him with us well into the future, but he wanted to take this new opportunity and we wish Ange well in this and everything else he does.
“Now our focus is very much on ensuring we move forward positively and do all we can to ensure that we maintain our dominant position in Scottish football and also prepare for the exciting European challenges which lie ahead.”
How bosses have fared after arriving in Premier League from Scottish Premiership
Ange Postecoglou has swapped Celtic for Tottenham as the north London club’s permanent successor to former head coach Antonio Conte.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the most recent managers to move from the Scottish to the English top flight, and how they fared.
Steven GerrardThe former Liverpool and England captain took over at Rangers in 2018, finishing second behind Celtic in his first two seasons – and also losing the 2020 League Cup final to them – before breaking through to win the 2020-21 Premiership in an unbeaten season to deny Celtic a 10th title in a row.
He was appointed at Aston Villa early the following season, with a reported £4million compensation payment to Rangers, but was unable to improve Villa’s results.
They finished 14th that season and he was sacked after a poor start to 2022-23, with Unai Emery taking over and leading Villa into Europe. Meanwhile, north of the border, Postecoglou had taken over Celtic and re-established their dominance.
Gerrard managed 13 wins in 40 games as Villa boss, a 32.5 per cent win rate.
Paul HeckingbottomHeckingbottom left Hibernian in November 2019 and, having been out of work for much of the season, became Sheffield United Under-23 coach in July 2020.
He took over as interim manager after Chris Wilder was sacked in March 2021 but won only three of 11 games as the club’s relegation was confirmed.
Having lost out on the permanent job to Slavisa Jokanovic, he took over six months later after the Serbian’s dismissal and has led the Blades back to the top flight for the new season, winning 48 of 83 games in his current reign.
Brendan RodgersRodgers was already an established name in England after spells at Reading and Liverpool, but it was at Celtic where he built his medal collection with back-to-back domestic trebles – adding the League Cup leg of a third before departing for Leicester in February 2019 and leaving Neil Lennon to finish the job.
With the Foxes he won the FA Cup in 2020-21 and reached the Europa League semi-final the following season, with league finishes of ninth, fifth, fifth and eighth as they twice missed out on the Champions League on the final day.
He was sacked in April with the club 19th in the league, with successor Dean Smith unable to save them from relegation. Rodgers won 92 of 204 Leicester games in all competitions, 45.1 per cent.
Alex McLeishMcLeish’s spell with Rangers brought him two league titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups, including a treble in 2002-03, following a second-placed finish with Motherwell and a promotion with Hibernian.
That earned him the Scotland job but he led them for only 12 games before returning to club management south of the border with Birmingham.
Blues were relegated in his first season in charge but bounced straight back, finished ninth in 2009-10 and won the 2011 League Cup after Obafemi Martins’ late winner against Arsenal.
That same season brought a second relegation, though, and McLeish resigned after 168 games in charge with a 36.9 per cent win rate.
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