At nearly 4,000 meters above sea level in La Paz, Bolivia, São Paulo drew 1-1 with Bolívar on Tuesday (11) in the first leg of the 2026 Conmebol Sudamericana round of 16.
Highlights coming up shortly
Tricolor Paulista positioned themselves well on the pitch and opened the scoring through Arboleda in the first half.
It was the Ecuadorian center-back’s first goal after leaving the club midway through the season, only to be brought back into the squad after being backed by director Rafinha.
However, despite a solid first half, São Paulo could not withstand the opposition’s pressure.
Bolívar’s goal, in fact, came in the most “common” way in matches at altitude: a long-range shot, taking advantage of the difference in the ball’s “weight.”
😡 Controversy over the new rules
Conmebol put the 2026 FIFA World Cup rules into effect, which, among other measures, give the goalkeeper only 5 seconds to restart play from a goal kick.
If it takes longer than five seconds, the team concedes a corner to the opposition.
Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán followed the new rules to the letter and irritated both the players and São Paulo fans.
São Paulo held at altitude, need
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FIFA’s new rule, in fact, will also be implemented in CBF competitions.
🚦 What it means
With this result, whoever wins next Tuesday (18) at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at MorumBIS will advance to the Sudamericana quarterfinals.
If there is another draw, the spot will be decided on penalties.
Before that, however, São Paulo host Coritiba at MorumBIS at 9 p.m. Brasília time in the 23rd round of the Brasileirão.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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