A final. That was what was played this Tuesday night at the CAP Stadium in Talcahuano. Under a pouring rain, Huachipato went out to look for tickets to the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores against Gremio. To achieve this, only the victory placed him in that instance and also gave him first place in the group. Unfortunately for the steelmakers, The worst scenario occurred and he suffered a narrow defeat, which dramatically removed him from the competition.
Despite a promising start for the Steelers, the visit hit first – and definitively -. At 5′, Martín Parra had avoided Everton’s goal, but in the following play, after a cornerDiego Costa easily beat Santiago Silva’s header to beat the Chilean goalkeeper and open the score.
The goal gave peace of mind to the gaúchos, who opted for a quick exit and the spaces that Francisco Troncoso’s pupils could leave in their eagerness to go in search of parity. Offensively, Yeferson Soteldo’s movements on the left were a complication for the defensive blockwho suffered from that gang occupied by Joaquín Gutiérrez, replacement of Felipe Loyola, who was not loaned by Ricardo Gareca for this match. A key absence that ended up being too decisive.
At 22′, Renato Gaúcho’s men had the second goal, but capriciously the ball hit the post after a shot by Pepé and poor coverage in the background. That play revealed the confusion of the homeowner, who urgently needed to calm down. and recover the attitude he had in the historic victory against Estudiantes in La Plata.
A cross that almost missed goalkeeper Marchesín was Huachipato’s most dangerous play. At 32′, a tremendous block by Martín Parra on Cristaldo prevented 0-2, after a charge that showed the serious problems in the mark and the nightmare that was Soteldo, who crashed a shot into the vertical in the 37th minute. The scene was repeated at 41′, with Everton hitting the same post.
Huachipato came out with a different attitude in the second half. Before five minutes he already had a shot on Maximiliano Gutiérrez’s post and four blocks from Marchesín, which ignited the hope of the brave who braved the storm. Truly a diametric change to what was offered in the first half, but which was later diluted.
Also, as the minutes passed, the field was noticeably damaged by the heavy rainfall that increased. In some sectors the ball slowed down, which made the associated play quite difficult. Therefore, the distance shot became the favorite weapon of both teams. At 71′, Jeisson Vargas had it, but again the Argentine goalkeeper of the Brazilian team took the ball into the corner.
The final minutes were emotional. Troncoso sent Sebastián Sáez to the field to try to change history, just as happened in La Plata. And then to the Venezuelan Brayan Palmezano, all in order to turn the story around. However, everything was fruitless and the score did not change. And just like in 2013, Gremio qualified again in Talcahuano. While those from Talcahuano will have to settle for playing the Copa Sudamericana.
In Huachipato there was a lot of annoyance over Ricardo Gareca’s refusal to give up Felipe Loyola for the match against Gremio. The anger in the hosts of the Eighth Region team lies in the fact that other players, like Alexis Sánchez, did have the possibility of joining the work later ahead of the friendly against Paraguay next Tuesday.
“They take Loyola out of Huachipato so that he can walk around the field in Pinto Durán“, they stated from the steel team and tried to explain Gareca’s rigidity, assuming that in the ANFP there was a will to allow Loyola to join after the clash against the Brazilians. “Surely, he doesn’t want to create a precedent so that he later has to release any player.”they theorized.
However, Gareca himself previously stated in an interview with Channel 13 that he would be flexible in these cases. “We know that clubs compete at an international level, I am interested in them competing there, and in that case I would not take away from the players that a club has for the Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores. I am interested in them competing at an international level”he expressed, words that today turn against the DT, especially after the Huachipato result.
