Independiente needed to win by two goals or more to advance to the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. In Avellaneda and with the momentum of their last three games (4-0 against General Caballero in Paraguay, 3-0 against Huracán and 4-0 against La Guaria in Venezuela), the feat seemed possible… It wasn’t even close.
The Red lost 2 to 0 against Ceará of Brazil and the players left the Ricardo Enrique Bochini stadium surrounded by complaints from the fans, including the “Let them all go, let not a single one remain” dedicated mainly to leadership.
Eduardo Domínguez’s team finished second in Group G, with four wins and two losses, both against Ceará, who won the zone with a perfect score (17 goals for, only one against). The team from Fortaleza, which qualified for the continental competition after placing 11th in Brasileirao 2021 and second to last in the 2022 edition, left no doubts in the head-to-head duels against the Red: 2-1 at home on the first date and 2 to 0 as a visitor in the last one.
The group was completed by the very weak General Caballero and La Guaira. The Paraguayans stayed with the clash of the last date in Venezuela and finished third with 4 points. La Guaira was left with just one.
In Avellaneda, the Brazilians took the lead in stoppage time in the first half. A very poorly marked set-piece center by Independiente allowed Rodrigo Lindoso to push it almost smoothly. When history died and nothing was left to chance, Ceará put the second with a counter defined by the Colombian John Mendoza.
Whistles and more whistles followed the referee’s final whistle, dedicated to an Independiente that disappointed in the League Cup (10th out of 14 teams in its area) and also in the South American Cup.