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Another illusion that vanished. Another dream that got away. 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 by losing 2-1 in the first leg at the Metropolitano stadium. The Chilean team advanced to the semifinal with the two away goals.
A goal by Miguel Borja, from a penalty, 7 minutes into the first half, gave the rojiblancos a sad victory, who came to this match amid great adversity. It only had the eleven starters and two substitutes.
Fabián Ángel tested positive for Covid-19 and the southern country’s health authorities requested to isolate him along with three other players who had close contact with him (Reinaldo Fontalvo, Luis Sandoval and Michael Rangel).
Since he landed in Chilean territory, the rojiblancos have devoted themselves more than anything to solving the insistent and demanding requirements of the local authorities. They couldn’t train on Tuesday. Apart from that, Teófilo Gutiérrez, his main creative beacon, was in the dark for playing with a muscle injury. Only David Murillo and Jefferson Gómez were on the bench.
Despite all that current against, the eleventh led by the goalkeeping coach, José María Pazo (Luis Amaranto Perea and his assistant, Luis Grau, were at their homes in Barranquilla infected by coronavirus), came out spirited to the high gramado of Sánchez Rumoroso .
He put desire and determination from the opening whistle and quickly found a prize: Matías Cano knocked down Edwuin Cetré in the same way that he knocked down Miguel Borja in the first leg and a clear penalty, although the Peruvian referee Víctor Carrillo hesitated and did not sanction him until who went to the VAR.
Later, the usual, 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, at minute 10. The central judge did not whistle it, but the VAR, the so-called VAR, warned Carrillo, but he refused to see him and maintained that there was nothing.
However, he agreed to the suggestion of those in charge of the video arbitration, went to see the action, reviewed it from various angles and did not change his mind.
There the possibility of equaling the two away goals scored by Coquimbo in Barranquilla escaped.
Junior kept controlling the ball and trying to go deep, but with Teofilo at half machine it was difficult. More inspiration was needed, more dribbling, more skill, more imbalance against an opponent whose main virtue is combativeness.
Coquimbo Unido reacted a bit and with its wide limitations (those that have it as one of the Chilean League’s coleros) it tried to reach Viera’s goal, but without neglecting its own.
Junior lowered the initial intensity and closed the first half in accordance with the 1-0 lead and with the illusion of getting the second goal in the complementary stage.
Amid inaccuracies in the delivery and lack of continuity in their game, the Sharks managed to manufacture some goal options, but Cetré and Borja were not accurate. The first managed to put one in, 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 kick to burn time, slow down the game and let time progress before a permissive referee in that sense.
Junior lacked variants to overcome an inferior team. He tried, struggled and sweated, but because of Covid, he did not even have an offensive replacement on the bench to try to improve. Hinestroza, with a free kick, exhausted the last chance before Carrillo took the whistle to his mouth and sentenced a sad 1-0.
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