This Wednesday, for the second round of Copa Libertadores playoffs, Brazilian side Corinthians faced their nightmare once again. The Sao Paulo-based team welcomed Club Guarani, from Paraguay after losing 1-0 in the first leg match. The Brazilians were able to get a 2-1 one victory, but it was not enough.
The hosts were, once again, eliminated by the same Guarani, who eliminated them in the Libertadores some years ago.
As a result of the advantage they built at home and knowing that they were facing one of the heavyweights from Brazil, the Paraguayan side started with a strong defensive line. On the other hand, the hosts were basically full attack, once they had to get the victory. So it was no surprise when, at the 9th minute of the game, they broke the deadlock.
Luan, the biggest signing of the season, made an individual play and from outside the box slotted the ball into the back of the net. Goalkeeper Gaspar Servio still touched it but couldn’t make the save. With the 1-0, things were equal in the duel because of the first leg match.
It didn’t seem that the Brazilian side really wanted to solve things, once they let the visitors create some chances. After a good header from Fernando Fernandez and the rebound that went to Rodney Redes, who sent his shot wide, Corinthians woke up and started attacking again. They dominated the match once again but suffered a setback.
At the 28th minute, they saw Pedrinho get his second yellow after a bad volley. Even though they were outnumbered, they were still able to score the second goal at the 32nd minute, when Vagner Love crossed it to Boselli, who put the ball into the back of the net once again. The 2-0 result was giving the qualification to the hosts.
However, in the second half, Guarani found the goal that would give them the qualification at the 53rd minute. Fernandez took a free-kick and put the ball into keeper Cassio’s top corner. 2-1.
The visitors still saw Johan Romana get his second yellow card, but were able to control the match and keep the scoring as it was.
With 2-2 in the aggregate, Club Guarani qualified for the third round of the competition playoffs, where they will face Palestino, from Chile. The Brazilian side will now focus on the national competitions and fight for a place on next year’s Libertadores.