League of Quitowith a man down throughout the second half Expulsion of Alexander Alvaradoentrenched himself, resisted and won Penalty shootout, 4-5, against Sao Pauloto reach the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana, where they will face Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia.
The São Paulo team managed to equalize the tie in regular time (1-0) but stayed on the bank en route to repeating the 2022 final due to a penalty error by James Rodríguez, hero and villain tonight at the Morumbi. The Colombian midfielder set up a corner for Ecuadorian Robert Arboleda, who scored the only goal of the game with a header in the 77th minute and clinched the penalty shoot-out after the 2-1 defeat in Quito. Liga de Quito deterred counterattacks, dealt with inferiority in the second half and were flawless in the shoot-out. Five out of five with Peru’s Paolo Guerrero being one of the scorers.
São Paulo coach Dorival Junior didn’t start with the magic quartet as expected. James sat on the bench and the trio of Calleri, Luciano and Lucas Moura, the best of the Paulistas, entered the field. The Brazilians’ first chances have just been squandered by Luciano and Calleri, who are now heavily represented in the penalty area, a rarity for the Argentinian striker.
LDU did not sit idly by. The counterattack and the loss of time to lose every second were the weapons of the team led by Argentinian Luis Zubeldía. With this strategy, Jhojan Julio stood out, a physical marvel who didn’t stop causing problems for the opposing defence. The hitch starred in a solo run from midfield that ended in a shot just off the post that Rafael answered brilliantly. But in the first minute, the Brazilian goalkeeper made a good save from Alvarado’s dry shot. Guerrero was also good at holding the ball from behind, one of his specialties.
São Paulo gave their heart and soul to Lucas Moura. The former Tottenham player is a step better at home than the rest of his team-mates, who even stood in his way in some dangerous games. However, his spark wasn’t enough to beat Alexander Domínguez in the first half.
The second half started with a favorable wind for the Brazilians after Alvarado was sent off for an ugly ankle tackle from Alisson. Being outnumbered, the Universitarios locked themselves in to withstand the downpour.
It was Alisson himself who led the local offense with a top-range kick that smashed the post. Arboleda, alone in the area, blew up the rejection. The goal didn’t fall and Dorival called James Rodríguez, a short space specialist, with half an hour to go. But the goal did not come. The Brazilians began to be gripped by fear. Calleri surprisingly missed a pass from the Dead in the six-yard box. And as panic swept the stands, James delivered a perfect corner kick grove, between three opponents, ends with a header. Adé’s distraction misled Domínguez, who brushed the ball before sliding into his goal.
An Ecuadorian player condemned an Ecuadorian team. But Morumbí’s tricolor failed to complete the comeback and the tie went to penalties, where the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich player was eliminated he sent his launch into the clouds from the capital Sao Paulo. First big disappointment for the Colombian and a big celebration for LDU.
Guilherme and Marinho, Key to Fortaleza
Strength The entry into the semi-finals was secured this Thursday after clearly prevailing in the second leg America Mineiro from 2-1, with goals from Guilherme and Marinho. With their victory, the team led by Argentinian Juan Vojvoda became the first team from the north-east region, the country’s poorest region, to advance to a South American semi-final where they meet strong Corinthians, also from Brazil.
guilherme He scored the first goal for Fortaleza with a header in the 21st minute, thanks to an assist from Tinga, and from there the Tricolor team dominated the rest of the first half against an unresponsive América Mineiro. In the second half, América increased their possession but found it difficult to break through Fortaleza’s defense and convert them into scoring chances. On the contrary, Fortaleza launched counterattacks that culminated in the team’s second goal in the 65th minute, this time from marine, who sent the ball into the back of the goal after the keeper saved a first try. A few minutes later came the third team goal cancelled by the referee because striker Lucero was ruled offside.
When the game seemed under Fortaleza’s firm control, América surprised Mineiro with a goal Breno In the 89th minute, however, the referee called for the end of the game before the scoreboard could turn. The result confirms Fortaleza’s good feelings in the first leg a week ago, when they beat America 3-1.
Outside of South America, the Northeast team is having a good season in the Brazilian championship, where they are eighth with nine wins, seven losses and five draws. Unlike Fortaleza, América Mineiro, also owned by Argentina’s Fabián Bustos, is going through a bad spell in the league, where they are bottom of the table with 13 defeats, three wins and four draws and a high probability of relegation.
