Fluminense, the current Libertadores champion, secured their spot in the Round of 16 as the Group A leader, with one match to spare, by defeating Cerro Porteño 2-1 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The team led by former Brazilian national team coach Fernando Diniz secured victory with goals from full-back Marcelo, the former Real Madrid player, and also veteran Paulo Henrique Ganso, while Wilder Viera scored for the Paraguayans.

With the win, the Rio de Janeiro team remained at the top with eleven points, out of reach for Cerro Porteño and Chile's Colo Colo, who are tied with five points and will have to decide the other qualifier from the group in the last match, where they will face each other in Asunción.

Alianza Lima remains in last place with four points but still has chances to advance to the Round of 16 as the group's runner-up if they beat Fluminense and their rivals draw in the other match.

The match started evenly with chances for both sides, but Fluminense had 76% of possession in the first half and five shots on target compared to two from the Paraguayans.

The home team had their first clear chance at goal in the 4th minute when, after an assist from Colombian Jhon Arias from the right, Argentine scorer Germán Cano shot towards the opposing goal, but goalkeeper Jean Fernández managed to save the ball.

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One minute later, Cano took advantage of a rebound inside the box to score what would have been Fluminense's first goal, but the goal was disallowed for offside, a decision confirmed by VAR.

From that moment on, the hosts took control of the game, and their pressure paid off in the 14th minute when Marcelo received a pass inside the box, evaded his marker, and placed the ball into the top corner, unreachable for Jean.

Five minutes later, Cerro reacted and equalized through Wilder Viera, after an assist from Robert Pires da Motta.

And in the 29th minute, after some dangerous plays from Cano, Arias, and Keno, the Paraguayan team crowned a counterattack with a header goal from Churín after an assist from Viera, but VAR ultimately disallowed the goal for offside.

The team led by coach Manuel Jiménez felt comfortable playing on the counterattack, and finishing attempts from Churín and Iturbe showed the effectiveness of their strategy.

Fluminense, on the other hand, launched attacks in the final minutes of the first half, but Cano, Arias, Keno, and Marcelo failed to convert their chances.

In the second half, Flu increased the pressure in search of their early qualification. Cerro Porteño, on the other hand, aimed for a draw as the best result they could achieve away from home; they completely withdrew and began to waste time.

Despite their superiority, Fluminense only managed to increase the score after Báez was sent off for receiving his second yellow card for a foul on Ganso.

And it was precisely Ganso, until then lost in the match, who led Fluminense's offense with different plays that ended with the headed goal he scored in the 74th minute after a long pass from Guga.

With the lead secured, Diniz sent his main players to the showers, including Ganso, Cano, and Keno, which disfigured the team, but they continued to attack until the last minute to increase the score but lacked accuracy.