Racing Club qualified for the Copa Sudamericana 2024 Finals after defeating Corinthians 2-1 in the second-leg of their semi-final matchup on Thursday. The first-leg had ended in a 2-2 draw, leading to a 4-3 aggregate score in favor of Racing Club.
The home team had to bounce back from an early deficit after Yuri Albertos scored for Corinthians from a tight angle pass from Depay. Albertos was able to drive the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to put Corinthians up 1-0 and put the pressure back on Racing.
Racing responded however but not before a botched clear chance gave Garro the chance to make the match 2-0 in favor of the visitors with a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. In the 36th minute, Racing Club equalized through a handball by José Martínez in the box. The resulting penalty was struck right down the middle by Quintero, giving the home crowd something to cheer about.
Just three minutes later, Quintero scored again from a Salas throw-in that was headed-on by Martinez. Quintero was able to dribble past the defender and slot the ball into the bottom right side of the net past the exposed goalkeeper.
There were a few close calls in the second half but ultimately the score wasn’t changed. With the match ending 2-1, Racing Club booked their appearance in the Final against Cruzeiro who had defeated Lanus a day before. The two teams will face off against each other in Asunción, Paraguay on November 23.
Based on past results, Racing Club will go into the matchup as favourites but Cruzeiro has been playing inspired football as of late. Expect a hard fought game that should come down to whichever team can control 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 Eliminated By Cruzeiro At Home, 1-0
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, Lanus was unable to capitalize on home field advantage, losing 0-1 to Cruzeiro at Ciudad de Lanús on Wednesday.
Lanus was under pressure from the very start of the match, with Cruzeiro creating opportunities within the opening minutes. Just three minutes into the match, Marcelino Moreno chipped the ball over the Lanus goalkeeper Cassio, but the referee disallowed the goal for offside.
Midway through the first half Cruzeiro created another great chance when Ramiro Carrera pushed past the Brazilian defenders and got a through ball to Luciano Boggio. Unfortunately the midfielder couldn’t finish the one-on-one against Casiio, drilling the ball directly into his grasp.
Finally the visitors got their breakthrough in stoppage time of the first half. The goal came from a mistake by Carlos Izquierdoz, who in a defensive mix-up with Matheus Pereira had a shot rebound to Kaio Jorge who converted.
Despite taking the lead, Cruzeiro didn’t let off in the second half as they continued to dominate. Their midfield kept pushing relentlessly against the hosts but in the 64th minute Lanus had their best opportunity to pull a goal back. After Boggio fell in a tussle with Lucas Romero in the box, Lanus claimed for a penalty but the referee refused them.
In the end, Lanus couldn’t find an equalizer and fell 0-1 to Cruzeiro. Due to the two team’s 0-0 scoreless draw in the first-leg, Cruzeiro ended up advancing to the final with a 1-0 aggregate score.
It should be noted that Lanus had a number of key injuries in the semifinals that ultimately were hard to overcome. Even though they kept both matches close, they never really threatened on offense and lost to the more consistent team in Cruzeiro.
