05/28/2021 at 7:30 AM CEST
EFE
Flamengo this Thursday closed the group stage of the Copa Libertadores with the leadership of group G of the Copa Libertadores after draw 0-0 with Vélez Sarsfield, who avoided defeat thanks to his goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos in a match to which the two teams were classified. On the sixth and final day of the group stage, the Rio de Janeiro team was slow and slow in the first half and only woke up in the second half, when they ran into the inspired Argentine goalkeeper at the Maracana stadium. The team led by Mauricio Pellegrino put the Brazilians on the ropes, but then they were overtaken by Flamengo and in the end they ended up with one less player after expulsion in injury time from side Francisco Ortega.
With the tie, Flamengo finished leader of the group with 12 points and no losses, followed by Vélez, with 10. Third, with 8 points, ended the Quito League, which will go on to play the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana after thrashing by 5-2 to the Chilean Union La Calera, which says goodbye with 2.
Flamengo had a very bad first half. The team was slow in the movement of the ball, with little tension in the legs. Erratic. The motivation to guarantee the first position of the group seemed insufficient for the disciples of Rogerio Ceni. Everything could have changed if in minute 3 a shot from outside the box by Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta had not crashed into the goalpost defended by Lucas Hoyos. From there it was a monologue by the Buenos Aires team, which began to play with ease as if it were in its field.
Midfielder Thiago Almada tried first from outside the area. More danger led to a header from winger Lucas Janson inside the small area that forced Diego Alves to make a save of pure reflexes. The insecurity of the Rio de Janeiro defense was evident in each ball hung by Pellegrino’s men. Vélez brushed up to the Olympic goal in a corner taken by Federico Mancuello, but again Alves avoided the goal.
In the last ten minutes of the first half, Flamengo stretched a bit, although without putting the visiting team in trouble. Only Pedro, with a cross shot, intimidated Hoyos somewhat.
In the second half, Flamengo radically changed their attitude, while Vélez slowed down. Hoyos then became his best footballer. Central defender Gustavo Henrique was about to score twice. The two head. The first one went over the crossbar, in the second Hoyos appeared. Everton Ribeiro also brushed against him in an individual play on the right that ended with a stretch from the Argentine goalkeeper.
In the last minutes, the harassment of the Rio de Janeiro club intensified. Vitinho almost broke Pellegrino’s wall, but his shot also went high. In the end, distribution of points in this qualifying duel.
League goals and passes to the South American
League of Quito said goodbye this Thursday to the Copa Libertadores with a 5-2 win in the Ecuadorian capital against the Chilean Union La Calera and as third in group G he qualified for the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. With goals from Paraguayan attacker Luis Amarilla, in minutes 28 and 33, from scorer Billy Arce, 58 and 60, and an own goal by defender Matías Fernández, at 15 minutes, Liga de Quito thrashed the Chilean team that discounted with a double from the Argentine attacker Sebastián Sáez, at 54 and 93. The offensive effectiveness of the local team far surpassed the debuting Chilean team in the Libertadores, as he scored three goals with simplicity of play in the first half, with an inspired Paraguayan scorer Amarilla, who he had three and scored two, a domain that he repeated in the second half to score two more.
The Ecuadorian King of Cups took the lead due to a defensive error by Fernandez, who deflected the ball over his goalkeeper Miguel Vargas, after a pass from the opposite defense by Franklin Guerra, in search of attacker Jhojan Julio (minute 15). After the contrast, the striker of the cement machine, as the Union La Calera is called, the Argentine Sáez, forced the naturalized Argentine Ecuadorian goalkeeper Adrián Gabbarini to make an effort to avoid the goal.
Liga used a bad start in defense of the opponent and scored the second goal through Yellow, who outwitted defender Christian Vilches and on the turn beat goalkeeper Vargas (minute 28). Another good visitor attack left midfielder Estevan Valencia in a chance to score, but his shot was once again rejected by goalkeeper Gabbarini.
The team of the criticized Uruguayan coach Pablo Repetto scored the third after a cross into the heart of defender Luis Ayala’s area. Amarilla controlled and enabled striker Adolfo Muñoz in a shot that the goalkeeper rejected to allow Amarilla himself to score his second goal (m.33).
La Calera reduced the difference through the Argentine Saez, who received a pass from the left side of midfielder Jeisson Vargas and scored on Luis Ayala’s mark (minute 54).
Liga scored again after a side kick from the right side of his attack, took the defense in disorder and after several shots, the scorer Maple from close range and on the empty goal he scored (minute 58). Arce himself controlled the ball, outwitted a defender and shot into the goalkeeper’s left side for the fifth goal (minute 61).
To make the farewell to the continental tournament less painful, Argentina’s Sáez scored another goal with a high shot in the 93rd minute.
Unión La Calera debuted this year in the Libertadores and said goodbye with two draws, four defeats, scored seven goals and conceded 17.
