Another illusion vanished. Another dream that escaped. Junior closed 2020 with a sad victory. Despite beating Coquimbo Unido 1-0 last night at the Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso Municipal Stadium, the rojiblanco team said goodbye to the Copa Sudamericana in the quarterfinals after losing 2-1 in the first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium. The Chilean team advanced to the semifinals by two away goals.
A goal from Miguel Borja, from the penalty spot, in the 7th minute of the first half, gave the sad victory to the rojiblancos, who came to this match in the midst of great adversity. He only had eleven starters and two substitutes.
Fabian Angel was positive for Covid-19 and the health authorities of the southern country requested to isolate him along with three other players who had close contact with him (Reinaldo Fontalvo, Luis Sandoval and Michael Rangel).
Ever since it landed in Chilean territory, the rojiblancos have been dedicated more than anything to solve the insistent and demanding requirements of the local authorities. They could not train on Tuesday. Apart from that, Teófilo Gutiérrez, his main creative beacon, was in the limelight to play with a muscle injury. On the bench alone were David Murillo and Jefferson Gomez.
Despite all this current against him, the eleventh led by the archers coach, José María Pazo (Luis Amaranto Perea and his assistant, Luis Grau, were in their homes in Barranquilla infected with coronavirus), came out briskly in the ‘alt gramat del Sánchez Rumoroso.
It made him want and determination from the initial whistle and quickly found reward: Matías Cano derived Edwuin Cetré in the same way that he knocked down Miguel Borja in the first leg and clear penalty, although the Peruvian referee Víctor Carrillo doubted and he did not sanction until he went to the VAR.
Then, as always, Borja in front of the white point and executed safely. One more day at the office.
The beginning was encouraging, promising. Much more after a clear hand in the area of a local defender, in minute 10. The central judge did not whistle it, but the VAR, the so famous VAR, warned Carrillo, but this one refused to see it and it remained in which there was nothing.
However, he agreed to the suggestion of the video arbitration managers, went to see the action, reviewed it from various angles and did not change his mind.
There the possibility escaped to equal the two goals of visitor written down by Coquimbo in Barranquilla.
Junior continued to control the ball and try to deepen, but with Teófilo a media machine it was complicated. It will take more inspiration, more shrimp, more skill, more imbalance in front of an opponent with its main virtue is combatability.
Coquimbo Unido reacted a little and with its wide limitations (those that have as one of the wraths of the League of Chile) tried to reach the arch of Viera, but without neglecting his.
Junior lowered the initial intensity and closed the first half in agreement with the 1-0 advantage and with the excitement of getting the second both in the complementary stage.
Amid inaccuracies in delivery and lack of continuity in their game, the Sharks managed to make some goal options, but Cetré and Borja were not accurate. The first reached a meter one, but the action was invalidated by a clear out of place.
Coquimbo, entrenched in his field, took advantage of any foul, throw-in or goal to burn time, slow down the pace of the game and let time progress before a permissive referee in that regard.
Junior lacked variants to beat a lower team. He tried, fought and sweated, but for Covid, he didn’t even have an offensive replacement on the bench to try to improve. Hinestroza, free kick, exhausted the last chance before Carrillo took the whistle to his mouth and sentenced a sad 1-0.