Students saw their qualification for the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores de América vanish agonizingly when they fell 1-0 with a goal seconds from the end against Athletico Paranaense, in the quarterfinal match played last night at the Estadio Uno-Jorge Luis Hirschi , in La Plata, with the arbitration of the Uruguayan Andrés Matonte who was almost as important as the 22 players.
After the goalless draw in the first leg in Curitiba, the match was presented as expected as a tough battle in which both teams paid more attention to not making mistakes than trying to put together associated plays that put the opposite goal at risk.
Thus, the procedure depended a lot on the quick plays in transition and the puncturer came several times with a house specialty, the balls stopped especially from above, but between the Brazilian goalkeeper Bento and the lack of definition of the puncturer attackers, the score remained in zero.
Until at 61 ‘the Uruguayan Andrés Matonte became the protagonist, who first did not charge a penalty for the local when in the same play there was a hand and a clear foul against Estudiantes, and in the corner that followed the puncturer scored the goal with a Lollo’s touch but with Morel offside, hindering the goalkeeper’s work, and the referee annulled it after consulting the VAR.
Estudiantes had the victory at 90′ when the recently admitted Méndez scored and was left alone against Bento but he finished off just centimeters from the right post.
But fortune was on the side of the patient Paranaense, when Roque hooked from the left after receiving from Terans and scored a precise pass to the penalty spot where the admitted Vítor Roque headed the goal before Andújar’s weak reaction. Obviously there was a VAR review but the Uruguayan scored the goal and although the puncturer had one more, the illusion of him vanished.
