Independiente Rivadavia beats La Guaira 4-2

Independiente Rivadavia sealed first place in Copa Libertadores Group C with a 4-2 win over Deportivo La Guaira in Caracas on Thursday, extending the Argentine club’s unbeaten run through five matches. Álex Arce scored a hat-trick, Sebastián Villa added the other goal, and CONMEBOL’s updated standings showed the Mendoza side on 13 points, eight clear of Bolívar and Fluminense and 10 ahead of La Guaira with one round remaining. The result left Independiente Rivadavia already qualified for the round of 16 and guaranteed as group winners before their final match away to Bolívar. La Guaira, with three points from five games, remained bottom of the group and still had one fixture left against Fluminense. ### How did Independiente Rivadavia lock up the group so early? (gol.conmebol.com) CONMEBOL’s standings page showed Independiente Rivadavia with 13 points after five matches, compared with five each for Bolívar and Fluminense and three for La Guaira. With only one match left for every team, no rival can catch the Argentine side. Thursday’s win in Venezuela completed that job. (gol.conmebol.com) CONMEBOL said Alfredo Berti’s team arrived in Caracas with the chance to secure the lead in Group C and did so with a 4-2 victory. ### Why was Álex Arce the central figure again? Álex Arce scored his second hat-trick of the tournament and became the competition’s top scorer with eight goals, according to CONMEBOL’s match report. (gol.conmebol.com) The governing body said no player had scored more in the 2026 Libertadores through Matchday 5. (gol.conmebol.com) CONMEBOL also said Arce had already emerged as one of the standout stories of the 2026 tournament. The report linked his latest three-goal performance to Independiente Rivadavia’s status as the most prolific attack in the competition, with 15 goals in five matches. ### Who else shaped the 4-2 win in Caracas? (gol.conmebol.com) Sebastián Villa scored Independiente Rivadavia’s second goal and set up Arce for the first, CONMEBOL said. Matías Fernández supplied three assists, including the pass that led to Villa’s goal. The same report described Berti’s front three of Arce, Villa and Fernández as central to the club’s group-stage run. (gol.conmebol.com) Independiente Rivadavia are making their Libertadores group-stage debut this season, according to CONMEBOL’s competition schedule coverage. ### What does the table now look like for La Guaira and Fluminense? (gol.conmebol.com) Group C remained tight behind the leader. CONMEBOL’s standings listed Bolívar second on goal difference ahead of Fluminense, with both teams on five points, while La Guaira had three. That means La Guaira can still move level on points with the second-place teams if they beat Fluminense in the last round, though final qualification would depend on goal difference and other tiebreakers. (gol.conmebol.com) That is an inference from the published table and remaining fixture list. ### Where and when are the decisive final matches? CONMEBOL’s match center lists Fluminense against Deportivo La Guaira at the Maracanã on May 27. (gol.conmebol.com) Kickoff is scheduled for 21:30 local time in Rio de Janeiro. The official group-stage fixture list also shows Bolívar against Independiente Rivadavia in the final round. Those two matches will close Group C after Independiente Rivadavia’s win on May 21 put first place beyond reach for the rest of the group. (gol.conmebol.com) (conmebol.com) (gol.conmebol.com)