Bahia Defeats The Strongest 3-0, Advances to Third Stage of Copa Libertadores

On Tuesday, Bahia secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Bolivia’s The Strongest in the Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, advancing to the third stage of the Copa Libertadores.

This result followed a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Goals from Luciano Rodríguez and two strikes by Ademir sealed the win. The Brazilian side played with a numerical advantage throughout the second half after an opponent’s red card.

Bahia now awaits the winner of Wednesday’s clash between Boston River (Uruguay) and Ñublense (Chile). Boston River holds a narrow 1-0 lead from the first leg.

Meanwhile, Bahia will return to action this Saturday at 4 p.m. Brasília time, facing Jacuipense in the first leg of the Campeonato Baiano semifinal, also at Arena Fonte Nova.

The match saw Bahia take control late in the first half. At the 40th minute, Luciano Rodríguez converted a penalty after a foul inside the box. The forward calmly sent goalkeeper Banegas in the wrong direction, putting Bahia ahead.

Bahia Dominates The Strongest

Moments later, The Strongest suffered a setback when Jusino received a direct red card for a reckless tackle on Rodríguez. With an extra player on the field, Bahia capitalized early in the second half.

Just two minutes in, Erick Pulga intercepted a poor pass from The Strongest and delivered a through ball to Ademir. The forward unleashed a powerful right-footed shot into the top corner, doubling Bahia’s lead.

The third goal came at the 17th minute following another counterattack initiated by Erick Pulga. After recovering possession deep in Bahia’s half, Pulga sent a long pass to Ademir, who sprinted past defenders and slotted a precise left-footed shot into Banegas’ bottom-right corner.

This commanding performance places Bahia one step closer to the Libertadores group stage. Their next opponent will emerge from Boston River and Ñublense’s tightly contested series. For now, Bahia shifts focus to domestic competition as they prepare for their Campeonato Baiano semifinal clash this weekend.