in Pacaembu. In the Brazilian Championship, with a weak team and delayed salaries, the club had one of the worst campaigns in its history and was relegated for the second time to the B Series, after another defeat to Santos, 2–0, in the 37th round. In 2015, Botafogo won the Guanabara Cup, but finished runner-up in the state championship after losing the final to Vasco. In the Brazil Cup, they were eliminated by Figueirense at home. The result, coupled with an inconsistent performance in the B Series, culminated in the dismissal of coach René Simões. Ricardo Gomes was hired in his place and, even though challenged and with a weak team, won the title of the competition and secured a return to the main series ahead of schedule. In 2016, the black-and-whites were again runners-up in the Carioca Championship after losing to Vasco in the final. In the Brazil Cup, Botafogo was eliminated in the round of 16 by Cruzeiro, beaten 5–2 in the first leg, and defeated 1–0 in the return one. In the Brazilian Championship, the club started very poorly, finishing the first half of the season in the relegation zone. In the second half of the competition, after Ricardo Gomes left for São Paulo and Jair Ventura took over as coach, Glorioso recovered and finished the championship in 5th place, securing a spot in the Libertadores Cup. In early 2017, Botafogo's focus turned to the preliminary round of the Libertadores Cup. The black-and-whites entered the competition in the second round, facing Colo-Colo right from the start and eliminating the Chilean rival after a win and a draw. In the third and final preliminary round, the opponent was Olimpia. Again, the team from Rio de Janeiro managed to advance, this time on penalties after goalkeeper Gatito Fernández, who entered during the return leg, saved three penalties from the Paraguayans. Because of the first matches in the continental competition, the club used backup players in the Guanabara Cup and failed to advance from the group stage. In the Rio Cup, meanwhile, the team finished runner-up after losing the final to Vasco. In the overall semi-final of the state championship, the team's main rival was Flamengo. Also in the first half of the year, Glorioso secured qualification for the final round of the Libertadores by finishing first in their group, ahead of Barcelona de Guayaquil, Estudiantes, and defending champion Atlético