San Luis Vs. San Martin: With A 3-1 Win, Gladiadores Are Still Alive

In a must-win game in Copa Libertadores, San Luis pulled a rabbit out of their hats with a win last night, securing a huge 3-1 win over San Martin, who sit in second place in Group 1. Anything but three points would have ended the Gladiadores' Copa campaign, but with their win, they are just one point off of a qualification place going into the final round of games. 

With Juan Carlos Medina dropping off of Wilmer Aguirre and creating a three man midfield, San Luis had an inherent advantage in that area of the pitch and were able to keep the ball well against San Martin's 4-4-2 setup. Medina, in particular, had a very good game at the tip of that midfield three, while right winger Michael Arroyo scored twice to seal San Luis's win.

In two weeks, San Luis visits group leaders Libertad, while San Martin hosts last placed Once Caldas. However, Once Caldas are not a typical last placed team, and are in reality, a very solid side who are very capable of defeating San Martin. Getting any points away in Paraguay will be a very tall order for San Luis, but what is most important right now is that they were alive. With San Martin on six points and San Luis on five, qualification is still very much up in the air. 

Whoever qualifies from Group 1 is likely to be one of the lowest seeded teams in the knockout stage, but that could prove to be either a blessing or a curse. As of right now, overachieving Junior are the first seed, and they would likely be a beatable opponent for San Luis. On the other hand, they could also draw Cruzeiro, against whom they would likely have absolutely no chance to advance.