Racing appeared at the height of Quito with the mission of defending its leadership in Group A of the Copa Libertadores. With the return of several determining pieces, Fernando Gago’s team struck from the start thanks to the premature goal scored by Nicolás Reniero, when the stopwatch had not reached the first 120 seconds.
The defensive neglect of Aucas and the perfect definition of the former San Lorenzo and Argentinos, led to the action having to be reviewed by VAR to confirm the advantage. A cry that was celebrated twice.
The local response was not long in coming. Through set pieces executed by Rómulo Otero, Jhon Cifuentes exposed his physical presence to impose the threat of the desired tie. Even Gabriel Airas had to intervene on more than one occasion to stifle the striker’s goal.
The miracle occurred around half an hour, after a perfect free kick that had Luis Cangá as the star interpreter. The defender sought equality over the barrier, and Arias’ fabulous reaction prevented the local goal. The goalkeeper of the Chilean national team flew from stick to stick to divert the trajectory of the ball. The help of the crossbar was also key in the risky situation, which was celebrated by those from Avellaneda.
In the plug-in, Racing maintained its tonic of going to press and with a firmer defense, was able to dominate the match despite Aucas’s desperation to go in search of an equalizer. In one of those attempts by the local team, the Academy counterattacked and converted the second through a great shot by Gabriel Rojas. This gave Fernando Gago’s team more peace of mind, which did not have any surprises and let the minutes run until the end. Otero’s discount came just in the discount.
Those led by Gago lead the zone with ten points, after three wins and a 1-1 draw against Flamengo from Brazil in the last presentation. In the local tournament, the team was in 22nd place with 18 points and last day did not play their match against Vélez Sarsfield, since it was postponed due to the death of the Liniers Reserve coach, Hernán Manrique.
If Flamengo beats Ñublense today (at the Municipal Mayor Ester Roa Rebolledo stadium) it will ensure its participation in the round of 16 of the international competition. Aucas, for his part, is in third position in his group with three units, and on the previous date he had lost 2-1 against Ñublese from Chile.