January 05, 2021 – 21:37 pm
AFP Agency
The Brazilian Palmeiras won as a visitor to the Argentine River Plate by 3-0 (partial 1-0) in the first leg of the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores 2020 played this Tuesday at the stadium of Independent, in Avellaneda (southern periphery of Buenos Aires).
Rony (26), Luiz Adriano (46) and Matías Vinya (61) scored the goals for the ‘Verdao’, which extended their unbeaten run so far from the Libertadores, while River ended the confrontation with ten players for the expulsion of the Colombian winger Jorge Carrascal (59), for a strong foul on Gabriel Menino.
Thus, Palmeiras arrives with a big difference in the face of the revenge that will be played on Tuesday, January 12 at the Allianz Park in Sao Paulo, and will qualify for the next stage even with a 2-0 fall.
The winner of this series will face the winner of the other semifinal on January 30 at the Maracaná, which the Argentine Boca Juniors and the Brazilian Santos will host from tomorrow Wednesday.
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As expected, it was River who took control of the game from the start, with a dynamic proposal, and a relentless search for the sides, with the rises of Casc and, to a greater extent, Montiel.
From the left came the first opportunity for the premises, in a center of Matías Suárez that Carrascal touched towards the arc, but Weverton was able to clarify, helped by Gustavo Go’mez.
Palmeiras’ plan was soon exposed, I decided to wait for him in River in his field and bet on ball shots opened by Rony and Gustavo Scarpa, open at the tips to try to capitalize on the spaces left by the local.
About 20 minutes, Montiel hit again on the right and sent a cross centered in the heart of the area, but I erased failed to push the ball accurately when the Colombian was alone in front of the arc.
Palmeiras’s response came shortly after, after Gabriel Menino sent a cross to the right, goalkeeper Armani did not understand the cover with Robert Rojas, cleared short and hurried, and the ball was served to Rony, who immediately looked for the right corner and scored, after a slight deflection to de la Cruz.
River felt the impact and was about to increase the ‘Verdao’ with a goal correctly annulled to Gustavo Scarpa by a millimeter offside, in a sign that the Paulista team, with much less possession , could be much more dangerous than his rival.
He tried a slight improvement on the premises in the closing of the first half, in a play in which Suárez and I erased failed to connect a closed center, and Nacho Fernández burst the crossbar in a free kick.
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But the game changed hands definitely in the second half, with a Palmeiras alive, smart and hidden, who took note of every mistake and exploited every opportunity to the fullest.
He warned Rony with a very fast counterattack that he could not define precisely, and in the next play, Luiz Adriano escaped from the middle of the court, beating the weak mark of the Paraguayan Robert Rojas, and sent the ball into the net between Armani’s legs to increase distances.
The game was even more open, with a River that was able to discount in a header from I erased that Weverton pulled hard and in a frenzy from Carrascal who rubbed the crossbar.
Frustrated, Carrascal got angry and threw a kick to Gabriel Menino, so he saw the direct red card, and from the free kick of this action came the third visiting goal, with a great center left. of Gustavo Scarpa that Matías Vinya heads wide to leave the ball very far from the hands of Armani.
There was half an hour left, but all that was left was to be favorable to Palmeiras, who could have increased in a cross from Breno and a counterattack from Gabriel Menino that forced a great save from River’s archer.
Surprised and bewildered, the team of the red band showed its worst face at the least favorable time, with a series of mistakes that Palmeiras made him pay dearly, and so the Brazilian team took a huge step on the way in the final, in search of his fifth final and to lift the trophy he won for the only time almost 22 years ago, in 1999.
and tomorrow Wednesday.