Quito University Sports Leaguedirected by the Argentine Luis Zulbediaobtained this afternoon his second South American Cup by defeating in kicks from the penalty spot Strength of Brazil, by 4 to 3, in the final of the contest held in the Uruguayan city of Maldonado.
In the 90 regulation minutes and extra time, the match ended tied 1 to 1, since the Argentine Juan Manuel Lucero had scored for the Brazilian team and the Argentine team as well Lisandro Alzugaray had equalized for the Ecuadorian team.
Goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez (former Vélez Sarsfield) excelled on penalties by containing three shots and thus his team won its fifth continental title and its second South American title. Liga had previously won the Libertadores in 2008, the Sudamericana in 2009 and won two Recopas Sudamericanas in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Fortaleza, directed by the Cordoban Juan Pablo Vojvodawent out to find the game with its two forwards Guilherme and the Argentine Lucero, well supplied by the midfielders, while Liga, led by the Pampa native Zubeldía, populated the middle, but with arrival midfielders, to accompany the experienced Peruvian Paolo Guerrero ( former Racing).
The offensive vocation of both teams meant that goalkeepers Joao Ricardo and Domínguez – who was playing in his fourth continental final – did not go unnoticed.
Both teams presented a large Argentine presence. The Ecuadorians started the match with the former Temperley and Godoy Cruz defender Facundo Rodríguez, the former Racing and Rosario Central midfielder Mauricio Martínez and the former Almagro Lucas Piovi.
On the Fortaleza side, former Unión defender Emanuel Britez, former River Plate midfielder Tomás Pochettino and former Defensa y Justicia and Vélez forward, Juan Manuel Lucero, were enlisted from the start.
At 36 minutes into the first half, another Argentine entered, the former Atlético Paraná and Central Córdoba midfielder from Santiago del Estero, Alzugaray, for Renato Ibarra.
From the 30th minute onwards the match became a typical South American final, with many frictions, blows, elbows and strong legs. But the Venezuelan referee Jesùs Valenzuela scored points for the 22 protagonists and handed out several yellow cards.
The first half ended with the ball far from the goals and with interruptions every minute due to infractions.
After the break, the skilled Jhohan Julio put together a phenomenal pile-up and goalkeeper Joao Ricardo blocked the goal. A few seconds later, Fortaleza triangulated on the right of its attack, with a Pochettino who overflowed and put in a low center that Lucero from Mendoza sent in, anticipating his marker. With that goal, the Maldonado stadium full of Brazilian fans exploded.
A few minutes later, an Ecuadorian defender looked for the Argentine Alzugaray on the right of his attack. Then, the man from Entre Ríos put his body well and won, he made the overflow and then closed. Two other hooks allowed the also former Newell’s to get rid of two rivals and hit a phenomenal left foot to equalize the match.
The match continued with interesting offensive alternatives, as both teams tried to avoid going to penalties. Along these lines, Vojvoda sent the skilled former Unión midfielder Imanol Machuca to the field, betting on imbalance and his dribbling.
In the last minutes, Fortaleza went on the attack and put Liga close to Domínguez, occupying the two extremes and with the advancement of the midfielders. But those led by Zubeldía maintained their operation, their order and closed the roads to the northeasterners.
Thus they went to the extension, while the afternoon fell in Maldonado, which registered a significant drop in temperature with the escape of the sun. And also, a certain sea mist got into the field.
In extra time, Vojvoda replaced Lucero with the experienced Cordoban Silvio Romero (former Independiente) looking for the goal from a crafty and always attentive scorer. The Brazilian team looked more physically fit in extra time and showed their determination to go for the second, while the Ecuadorians bet on the replicas
Also in the second half of extra time, the experienced Titi, a bulwark of the Fortaleza defense, was injured and his team had exhausted the changes, so a minute later he returned to play, but standing as a second center forward.
Finally the shots came from the penalty spot, where the Brazilian goalkeeper excelled by saving Guerrero. But it was Domínguez’s day that he won a new trophy in the Quito League, by containing three penalties; those of the Argentines Silvio Romero and Emanuel Brítez, plus that of Pedro Augusto.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
