The first leg of the 2024 Copa Sudamericana semi-finals completed on Thursday, October 24 with Corinthians taking on Racing Club at the Neo Química Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, setting up an intriguing second-leg which will be played next Thursday.
In the other semi-final, played on Wednesday, Brazilian side Cruzeiro drew with Argentinian squad Atlético Lanús 1-1. Similar to the other series, everything will come down to the next leg where the winner will move on to the Final. The Final will be held at the Estadio General Pablo Rojas in Barrio Obrero, Paraguay.
For a full match recap and post-match analysis of each semi-final, see below.
Carrera Equalizes With Late Goal To Save Lanus
Winger Ramiro Carrera equalized for Atlético Lanús with a header in the 73rd minute, allowing his team to come away with a 1-1 draw against Cruzeiro in the first leg of the semi-finals. With the second leg to be played in Buenos Aires next Wednesday, Lanus will likely have the upper-hand in the matchup.
Both teams had relatively few opportunities to score in the first half but neither could convert, as the game went scoreless into the second half. It wasn’t until 22-year-old forward Kaio Jorge capitalized on a rebound inside the box in the 50th minute of the match, that the deadlock was broken.
Although the goal temporarily had the visitors on the backfoot, they nearly equalized just a few minutes later when Marcelino Moreno got behind the defense. Unfortunately for Lanus, he could get past the Cruzeiro goalkeeper Cássio, who made a terrific save.
The equalizer did however come a little later when Marcelino Moreno delivered a precise corner to Carrera who was able to put away for an equalizer.
Cruzeiro pushed hard for a game-winner in the last 15 minutes and came close but couldn’t quite find the back of the net. It should be noted that Nahuel Losada, the goalkeeper of the Lanus, came into the match struggling with a nine-match winless streak (three losses, six draws). He was able to rise to the occasion though, keeping out a number of close calls to keep his team leveled going back home.
There will be everything to play for in the second leg next week, as both teams look to post a finals appearance. The last time Lanus made the finals of Copa Sudamericana, they took home the title back in 2013.
Corinthians Blow Lead To Draw Against Racing Club 2-2
Brazilian club Corinthians led against Racing Club in their semi-final matchup but could ultimately only secure a 2-2 draw. The heavy rain proved to be a significant factor during the match, impacting several areas of the pitch as puddles began to develop on the field.
Both teams came ready to play with the intensity high from the opening minutes. Racing struck first when Maxi Salas took the ball mid-air and lobbed it over the goalkeeper after a missed header in the 6th minute.
The lead was short-lived however as just four minutes later Alberto Yuri equalized off a terrific pass from Memphis Depay. Arias was able to deny a powerful header from André Ramalho in the 33rd minute to keep Corinthians’ tied and the home team took control after Alberto scored seconds later from distance.
It looked like the Corinthians were going to come away with a goal advantage going into the second leg but Racing Club had other ideas. In the 54th minuteMartirena, unloaded a fabulous right-footed shot that found the bottom right corner of Hugo Nogueira’s goal.
Alberto came close to a hat-trick in the 62nd minute but his header sailed over the crossbar to keep the score level. Despite some desperate scrambling in the waning minutes, the match ended in a 2-2 which puts Racing CLub in a good position heading back to Argentina.
The second semi-final will be held at the Cilindro of Avellaneda next Thursday, starting at 21:30.
