Racing Club secured their spot in the Copa Sudamericana 2024 Finals by triumphing over Corinthians with a 2-1 victory in the second-leg of their semi-final clash on Thursday. With the first-leg ending in a 2-2 draw, Racing Club advanced with a 4-3 aggregate score.
The home team faced an early setback when Yuri Alberto scored for Corinthians from a sharp pass by Depay. Alberto drove the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs, putting Corinthians ahead 1-0 and increasing the pressure on Racing.
Racing had to rally, but not before missing a clear opportunity that allowed Garro to almost make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. However, in the 36th minute, Racing Club managed to draw level. A handball by José Martínez in the box led to a penalty, which Quintero confidently converted down the middle, igniting the home crowd.
Just three minutes after the equalizer, Quintero found the net again. He capitalized on a Salas throw-in that was headed on by Martinez. Quintero skillfully dribbled past a defender before nestling the ball into the bottom right corner, out of the reach of the exposed goalkeeper.
Although the second half had a few tense moments, the score remained unchanged. The match concluded with a 2-1 result, ensuring Racing Club’s place in the Final against Cruzeiro, who had bested Lanus the previous day. The two teams will clash in Asunción, Paraguay on November 23.
Given previous performances, Racing Club will likely enter the match as the favorites, though Cruzeiro has been demonstrating excellent form lately. The game promises to be fiercely contested, likely determined by which team can dominate in the box.
Starting XI for Racing: Arias;Di Césare, Santiago Sosa, and García Basso; Martirena, Almendra, Nardoni, and Gabriel Rojas; Juan Quintero, Adrián Martínez, and Maximiliano Salas. Head coach: Gustavo Costas.
Starting XI for Corinthians: Nogueira; Mateuzinho, Ramalho, Félix Torres, and Bidu; André Carrillo, José Martínez, and Charles; Garro; Depay, and Yuri Alberto. Head coach: Ramón Díaz.
Lanus Falls to Cruzeiro at Home, 1-0
After drawing 1-1 in the first leg of the semi-final, Lanus couldn’t take advantage of their home ground and suffered a 0-1 defeat against Cruzeiro at Ciudad de Lanús on Wednesday.
From the outset, Lanus was under significant pressure, with Cruzeiro creating chances almost immediately. Just three minutes into the game, Marcelino Moreno lobbed the ball over Lanus goalkeeper Cassio, but the goal was ruled out for offside by the referee.
Midway through the first half, Cruzeiro had another excellent opportunity when Ramiro Carrera broke through the Brazilian defense and sent a through ball to Luciano Boggio. Unfortunately, Boggio couldn’t convert the one-on-one opportunity against Cassio, firing the ball straight at the keeper.
The visitors finally found their goal in stoppage time of the first half. A defensive error from Carlos Izquierdoz, following a mix-up with Matheus Pereira, allowed Kaio Jorge to score after a rebound.
Cruzeiro maintained their intensity in the second half, continuing to dominate the midfield. However, in the 64th minute, Lanus had their most significant chance to equalize.After Boggio went down in a clash with Lucas Romero inside the box, Lanus appealed for a penalty, but the referee denied their request.
Ultimately, Lanus failed to secure an equalizer and were defeated 0-1 by Cruzeiro. Given the 0-0 stalemate in the first leg, Cruzeiro advanced to the final with an aggregate score of 1-0.
It’s important to mention that Lanus faced several crucial injuries during the semifinals, which proved difficult to surmount. Despite keeping both games competitive, they couldn’t generate much offense and were outperformed by the more consistent team, Cruzeiro.
