Cienciano starred in one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana by eliminating Botafogo and advancing to the quarterfinals of the continental tournament. However, the qualification of the Cusco team was accompanied by incidents recorded immediately after the final whistle at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium.
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The ‘Papá’ lost 1-0 in Rio de Janeiro but made good use of the emphatic 6-1 victory achieved in Cusco. With an aggregate score of 6-2, Cienciano secured its place among the top eight in the competition.
After the match, a fight broke out between members of both teams. Kevin Becerra, defender of the Cusco team, gave his version of what happened and harshly criticized the security conditions that the visiting squad found.
Kevin Becerra and his strong complaint after the match
In statements to the program Mano a Mano, Becerra assured that the Cienciano players were exposed during the incidents and described harshly what, according to his version, happened after the match.
“They went crazy, they were angry because of the goals we scored there (Cusco). What happened is a disgrace, they almost killed us”, he said.
The Ecuadorian defender also directly pointed to the stadium security and stated that the team members did not have the protection they expected during the tense moments.
“We were alone, there were no guards, there was nothing. The guards who were supposed to protect us were hitting us. Next time we will have to bring our own people”, he added.
How did the fight between Cienciano and Botafogo start?
Becerra explained that, from his perspective, the tension between both teams was related to what happened a week earlier in Cusco, when Cienciano thrashed Botafogo 6-1 in the first leg.
According to the defender, members of the Brazilian team believed that some members of the ‘Papá’ bench had mocked them during that match. That annoyance remained and carried over to the return match.
“They were angry about what happened there (Cusco), they said our bench was mocking them. Right now the ‘coach’ didn’t say anything and they confronted him, but he was calm”, he explained.
According to the player’s account, coach Horacio Melgarejo did not start the confrontation but was confronted by a Botafogo player.
The Cienciano defender also recounted what, according to him, triggered the reaction of the Cusco players.
“𝗜𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘, 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗨𝗦” 😯
— DENGANCHE (@denganche) August 21, 2026
👉 Kevin Becerra told exclusively all the details of the fight that happened after Cienciano eliminated Botafogo from the Copa Sudamericana.
What do you think about what happened? 👀
🚗 STP, a specialist brand in… pic.twitter.com/kUoHfbib4y
“I heard he didn’t say anything, but one went to greet him and punched him; that one should be sanctioned”, Becerra said.
After that situation, the Cienciano players would have intervened to defend their coach. The defender explained that the team decided to act cautiously to avoid disciplinary consequences that could harm them.
“We know that the ‘coach’ improved after the sanction, and we, as players, appreciate it. We went to defend and we couldn’t punch everyone because the ones harmed would be us”, he said.
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