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Total euphoria. The doodle thrown to the four winds, but of happiness. Players, coaches, manager and all crossed fans will never forget the night of October 22, 2020. The night of the miracle that kept them alive on the international field.
On Thursday night the UC entered the field knowing that in the Libertadores it had already been eliminated, but also aware that it had the consolation prize at hand, which was to finish third in Group E to get into the South American Cup.
Of course, not everything depended on the crusaders. Luck, this time, was on their side, as it did so many times in the recent past. In the end, UC made the move to the South American and that was thanks to the fact that they never stopped fighting in the duel against Inter, which they won 2-1 agonizingly. And since in Porto Alegre, of course, a penalty was charged at 100 minutes in favor of Gremio that gave life to Holan’s team. The beauty of football, they say.
Those on the fringe could have arrived on a very different footing than the last date of the group stage, where they showed that they had the necessary football not to have settled only with the consolation prize. How much the loss at home in March against the Colombians of America de Cali weighed. How much the 1-1 hurt as a visit against the same coffee growers and that it should have been a triumph.
There are positive things to rescue, yes. Like that, except for the first date with Inter, where they were beaten, the university students were never passed over, despite being in a group, in justice of the UC, very complicated. What’s more, there were presentations, like last night with Inter, the home victory against Gremio or the visit to Cali that are worthy of note, although they were not enough to continue advancing in the Libertadores.
At home, without Luciano Aued, suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards, the Católica knew how to stand against Inter del Chacho Coudet. Ariel Holan moved the pieces and put Chapa Fuenzalida in the middle of the court to do a mixed task, helping Saavedra in running and Pinares in the creation.
Of course, the Catholic began the game at a disadvantage, after a penalty converted at 24 ′ by Andrés D’Alessandro after a hand from Pinares. Fortunately for the UC, Fernando Zampedri, the figure of the night from Santiago, had the collaboration of a Brazilian defender who dislodged Lomba and achieved the tie just a minute later. That, at least, left the fringe alive in his group and trusting that in Porto Alegre the logic could occur that Gremio would beat América de Cali.
However, in Brazil at 54 ′ Kannemann scored an own goal and was giving the victory to the Colombians. And in Chile Católica it only matched. Everything was given to remain empty-handed, but if UC has shown something from 2016 onwards, it is that it got rid of all those ghosts that kept it from overcoming adverse situations and sometimes delivering already secure triumphs on a plate.
Thus, from the 90 ′ onwards, the events that gave way to the foothills to the South American happened: the game in San Carlos was already leaving and Zampedri achieved the final 2-1 with a Chilean bite. And while in Chile the final whistle was heard, in Porto Alegre 10 minutes of extension were played when a penalty was charged in favor of Gremio. Souza converted, established 1-1 and with this UC managed to overcome América de Cali by one point and took third place in the group and the ticket to the well-deserved consolation prize.
UC 2: M. Dituro; R. Rebolledo, G. Lanaro, V. Huerta, A. Parot; I. Saavedra, JP Fuenzalida, C. Pinares; G. Lezcano, F. Zampedri, E. Puch. DT: A. Holan.
Inter 1: Marcelo Lomba; Rodinei, Víctor Cuesta, Rodrigo Moledo, Uendel; Nonato (72 ‘, Galhardo), D. Musto, Peglow (56’, Marcos Gilherme), D’Alessandro (72 ‘, Praxedes); Pottker (56 ′, Edenilson), Yuri Alberto. DT: E. Coudet.
Goals: 0-1, 24 ′, D’Alessandro, from a penalty; 1-1, 25 ′, Zampedri, helped with a rebound; 2-1, 90 ′, Zampedri, from Chilean.
Referee: M. Vigeliano (ARG). He admonished Pinares, Huerta, Zampedri, Parot, Holan, Fuenzalida (UC); Cuesta, D’Alessandro, Rodinei, Jussa (I).
San Carlos de Apoquindo Stadium. No audience.
