Jaguares Vs. Cerro Porteno, 2011 Copa Libertadores: Late Jaguares Goal Delivers 1-1 Draw

The first half was as awful as can be and the second half was awful, just not as awful. In the end, Cerro Porteno got a somewhat fortunate goal answered by Jaguares just before the final whistle for a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinal in Chiapas. Now all Cerro has to do is get a draw at home in next week’s second leg and they are through to the semifinals despite playing as boring football as anyone will see.

Jaguares played without their best player, Jackson Martinez, as he sat with with suspension and while they tried to attack, they struggled to beat a Cerro team committed to defending above all. Cerro just had no interesting in taking the slightest of chances, preferring to put all but one player behind the ball for most of the match.

Robert Nanni spent most of the match as that one Cerro player not behind the ball and he almost got a goal, but when the Jaguares offside trap failed and he was in on goal he kept the ball and kept the ball and kept the ball. Despite having plenty of time to put the ball past the keeper, he inexplicably held on and eventually had it tackled away.

Nanni’s chance was the closest Cerro came and they were happy with it. A scoreless draw was good enough for them by the look of their terrible anti-football play in which they didn’t even try to get involved in the attack. When Jaguares attacked, a foul was preferred and everyone in attendance would have been wise to cover their eyes.

That is why it was a shame when Cerro finally scored. Jonathan Fabbro had the ball fall to him straight away and his shot was mediocre, right on its way to the chest of the keeper in the middle of the goal, but it clipped the leg of a Jaguares defender and deflected into the goal.

Amazingly, Jaguares found themselves a late goal to save all. Just before the final whistle Antonio Pedroza rose to a cross and headed the ball off the post and in for an equalizing goal. The goal at least kept Cerro from winning and restored a modicum of footballing justice.