The Brazilian team Fluminense, the current Libertadores champion, struggled but managed to defeat the Chilean Colo Colo 2-1 on Tuesday, with goals from Marquinhos and the Argentine Germán Cano, thus taking the lead in Group A of the continental tournament.

The Rio de Janeiro-based team, which drew 1-1 last week in their visit to Peruvian side Alianza Lima, now has 4 points from two matches, edging ahead by one point over Colo Colo (3 points), who had started with a 1-0 victory over Cerro Porteño.

Alianza Lima, in third place with one point, will play against Cerro Porteño on Wednesday, in a match that could potentially change the leadership if the Peruvians secure a victory.

Fluminense aimed to display their dominance from the outset at the Maracanã stadium, launching continuous attacks in an attempt to open the scoring as quickly as possible.

Their pressure paid off in the 5th minute when, after an assist from Colombian Jhon Arias, Marquinhos received the ball on the right side, advanced towards the center, and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, putting the hosts in the lead.

Colo Colo, opting to defend and wait for a chance on the counter, managed to withstand Fluminense's pressure as best they could to prevent them from increasing the lead.

However, in the 18th minute, against the run of play, and with Colo Colo's first shot of the match, a corner kick taken by Leo Gil allowed Guillermo Paiva to head the ball into the net, equalizing the score.

The equalizer emboldened the visitors, who balanced the game and began venturing more into the attack, while Fluminense struggled to react.

Permanently booed by the tricolor fans, who reminded him of his time at rival Flamengo, Arturo Vidal became a key player for Colo Colo both in midfield tackles and in some long-range attempts.

Desperate for a win, at the start of the second half, Fernando Diniz decided to send a fourth attacker onto the field with the introduction of Lelé, sacrificing defender Felipe Melo.

As expected, Fluminense launched attacks with Lelé and Marquinhos on the wings and with the Argentine goal-scorer Germán Cano, who returned to the pitch after a month-long injury layoff, more activated by his teammates.

The hosts regained the lead in the 51st minute when, after a cross from the right by Marquinhos, Cano, the top scorer of the tournament last year, outjumped Opazo and headed in the second goal for the Libertadores champions.

With Colo Colo pushing forward more, Vidal recovered the ball in midfield and made a pass to Zavala, who initially missed the shot but made no mistake when Fábio spilled the ball, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review.

Fluminense tried to take advantage of Wiemberg's expulsion from Colo Colo in the final minutes but failed to add to their lead.