2011 Copa Libertadores Semifinals, Velez Sarsfield Vs. Penarol: Penarol Joins Santos In Final

Velez Sarsfield were a goal away from a spot in the Copa Libertadores final with 15 minutes remaining in the second leg of the semifinal tie with Penarol and they had themselves a penalty kick. The home supporters were ready to erupt as the winning goal sat on the penalty spot and Santiago Silva stood ready to send the Argentinean club onto South America’s biggest stage for a club. Then, the home field rebelled. Silva slipped as he kicked the ball and it went flying over the crossbar to keep the tie level at 2-2 on aggregate with Penarol’s singular away goal the difference as the Uruguayan’s celebrated their spot in the final.

Penarol had done their job in the first leg, winning 1-0 and keeping Velez from the vital away goal. Then on Thursday night, Matias Mier tallied in the 33rd minute and Penarol wasn’t just ahead 1-0 in the match and 2-0 on aggregate, but they had themselves an away goal and with less than an hour remaining, the spot in the finals looked like it was theirs.

Velez Sarsfield and Penarol are in the same place they started the match at, level, but the two-legged tie has turned even more in favor of the Uruguayans. Penarol began the match leading 1-0 on aggregate after taking care of business at home and they opened the scoring with a Matias Mier score. Fernando Tobio equalized for Velez and brought the aggregate score to 2-1, within striking distance, but Penarol already had the most vital of things, an away goal. With the match at halftime, Penarol just needs to see out the final 45 minutes and not give up two goals to advance to the final, where Santos F.C. is waiting.

Alejandro Martinuccio did the hard work for Penarol’s first goal, setting up Mier and sending the sizable traveling supporters clad in black and yellow into a frenzy. Penarol looked as if they had booked a spot in the final with Velez needing three goals to top the Uruguayans.

One match left and one spot in the Copa Libertadores final left. Penarol did their job in winning and not allowing an away goal in the first leg at home, but it was only a one goal win. Now they have to play at Velez Sarsfield, who have a chance to erase that one goal deficit and move onto the final in this semifinal second leg.

The Penarol supporters have made the trip to Argentina and along with the Velez supporters are making for an incredible atmosphere. The stadium is awash in blue and white, smoke and flares, signs and flags. That is except for one end that is black and yellow, but they are becoming increasingly difficult to see with the blue and white confetti falling down on them, as well as everyone else in the stadium.

There are 100 things you could say about Cerro Porteno, only one of them good. That would be Jonathan Fabbro’s goal from the Copa Libertadores semifinals against Santos FC. A run filled with boring tactics and negative football came to an end when Santos got the better of them, but Cerro got one surefire highlight out of the match. This incredible goal.

↵

I love the Copa Libertadores. I do not love Cerro Porteno (because they’re boring). This video, therefore, makes me very, very happy because it is the Copa Lib and has bad but funny things happening to Cerro:

↵

Cerro Porteno may have made an entire Copa Libertadores run by making neutrals hate them with the most boring football ever, but with their backs against the wall they turned in a thrilling performance. Unfortunately for their raucous home supporters who turned the stadium into a sea of red, blue and noise, it was not enough. Santos FC went up early at Cerro and held on for dear life to draw the tournament semifinal second leg 3-3 and advance to the Copa Libertadores final 4-3 on aggregate.

Cesar Benitez did his part to try and bring Cerro back before halftime. He got on the end of a corner kick to get the home side on the scoreboard, but it looked like it wouldn’t matter much. Neymar scored right before the break and Santos were up 4-1 on aggregate. At halftime, Cerro appeared dead.

The worst thing that could ever happen to the football world might be happening. Cerro Porteno might stay alive in Copa Libertadores. The boring and bunkering Cerro might not be dead. They looked dead. They looked very dead. What else do you call a team down 4-1 on aggregate with not much time left? Well, Cerro aren’t dead. They’re not dead at all. Jonathan Fabbro scored an amazing goal to make the second leg of this Copa Libertadores semifinal 3-3 and cut the aggregate lead for Santos to 4-3. Time is low, but Cerro are alive.

It’s tough to say just how great Fabbro’s goal was. He took the ball 30 yards from goal and danced around as Santos tried to take it from him. A spin and some fancy footwork cleared just enough space for him so he unleashed a great shot. It just barely got under the post, Cerro had a goal and they were alive.

Unlike most of Cerro Porteño’s matches in the knockout stages up until this point in the Copa Libertadores, this match has been anything but boring. Cerro are in big trouble and in need of four more goals to advance to the final, but at the very least, they’ve been forced to come out of their shell against Santos FC. However, they’re only doing so because Santos has such a big lead, although Cerro has one goal of their own. At halftime of the second leg of their semifinal tie, Santos lead by a score of 3-1, 4-1 on aggregate.

The first goal, which was a virtual dagger, happened just three minutes in. Neymar drew a free kick on the left wing which was taken by Elano, and Ze Eduardo headed home his ball at the near post. With Santos having a 2-0 lead and an away goal, Cerro were in big trouble. They were forced to start playing a more ambitious style, and they paid for it.

After just three minutes of play in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores semifinal, it looks like Cerro Porteño’s dream run in the competition is over. They’ve managed to upset Estudiantes La Plata and get past a flawed, but entertaining Jaguares de Chiapas team to this point, but thanks to a 3rd minute goal by Ze Eduardo, the superior Santos FC has a crippling away goal and 2-0 aggregate lead.

It may seem harsh to write Cerro’s obituary with 87 minutes remaining in the game, especially in a competition as wild as Copa Libertadores, but it’s tough to see them coming back from this. Their success has been based on their defense, and they play a very compact and defensive style. Shifting away from that and into a more attacking style of play seems like something that is a bit over their heads, especially against the team that is arguably the most talented team outside of Europe.

Unsurprisingly, being down one goal hasn’t changed the philosophy of Cerro Porteño. They need to beat Santos FC 1-0 or by two goals if Santos score, but they’re still putting their defense first, or so their lineup implies. They appear to be playing with their normal 4-5-1 setup that features a double pivot behind Jonathan Fabbro, but it has the potential to become an attacking formation if need be. Roberto Nanni remains out of the lineup, and Fredy Jose Bareiro starts up top.

For Santos, they’re still without Paulo Henrique Ganso, but they’re not replacing him with Alan Patrick today. It looks like Santos is playing slightly more conservatively than usual, as both Danilo and Adriano are playing, along with Arouca. This could result in something closer to a 4-3-1-2 than their usual 4-2-2-2 “magic box” setup. Despite a setup that might look conservative by their standards, it still features Neymar, Ze Eduardo, and Elano. Here are the lineups.

We’re just two games and 180 (or more?) minutes away from determining the participants in the 2011 Copa Libertadores final. Four teams from four different countries remain, and based on their performances thus far, it would be tough to say that any of them are not worthy participants.

Though Cerro Porteño don’t play the most aesthetically pleasing style of football, their defensive record is impressive. Peñarol are a great counter-attacking side, and it’s great to see a resurgence from such a historically great club. Santos FC are what one would think they are, a side full of young Brazilian stars and attacking flair. Velez Sarsfield, before their last two matches in Copa and domestic football, were the most in-form team on the continent. They’re four teams from four different countries with four very different styles, and that’s what makes Copa Libertadores such an entertaining competition.