14 JUNE 2001
ROSARIO CENTRAL 3 : Pizzi 38, Maceratesi 42, 60
CRUZ AZUL 3 : Almaguer 7, Adomaitis 44, Palencia 89
(Cruz Azul wins 5x3 on aggregate)
Rosario Central needed to overcome a two-goal deficit from the first leg,
but it was Cruz Azul that struck first. in the 7th minute, goalkeeper
Tombolini failed to hold on to a simple cross and the ball ended up with
Almaguer, who just deflected it in. The home side seemed down and out, but
they didn't give up. In the 38th minute, Rosario was awarded a debatable
penalty, which was converted by Pizzi. Four minutes later, the Argentinean
side was alive again, thanks to a goal by Maceratesi, who capitalised on an
error by Almaguer. But in the 44th minute, Cruz Azul restored their two-goal
cushion. Tombolini deflected a shot into the middle of the box, exactly
where Adomaitis was standing, and the Mexican player made no mistake,
scoring with a potent shot. Rosario dragged itself back into the match in
the 60th minute, thanks to another goal by Maceratesi. The last half-hour of
play was anxious, with the home side needing just one goal to send the tie
to the penalty shootout. The tie was sealed only in the last minute of play,
when Palencia made it 5x3 on aggregate, with a clever deflection from 10
yards out. Cruz Azul has become the first-ever Mexican side to reach the
final of the Libertadores Cup. The Mexicans are affiliated to the Concacaf,
which means that Boca Juniors will face Bayern Munich at the
Intercontinental Cup final, regardless of the outcome of the Libertadores
Cup final.
Attendance : around 45,000
13 JUNE 2001
PALMEIRAS 2 : Fábio Júnior 36, Bermúdez (og) 66
BOCA JUNIORS 2 : Gaetán 2, Riquelme 17
(4x4 on aggregate; Boca wins 3x2 in the penalty shootout)
This was one of those matches that remind us why the Libertadores Cup is
the best tournament in South America. At a packed Parque Antárctica
Stadium, the atmosphere was electric, making up for an extremely exciting
match. Boca Juniors had the perfect start, opening the scoring in the 2nd
minute. Leonardo and Felipe collided when attempting to get to a loose ball,
which ended up with Giménez. The Argentinean player fired a potent shot
that was parried by Marcos, but the rebound fell to Gaetán, who just poked
it into the open net. In the 17th minute, Boca once again took advantage
of the nervousness of Palmeiras and scored. the Argentineans stole the ball
on midfield and passed it to Riquelme, who ran with the ball, dribbled past a
Brazilian defender, created some space with an amazing body move and
fired a clinical shot, beyond the reach of the goalkeeper (by the way,
Barcelona made an excellent buy; Riquelme is by far the best player in South
America; he humiliated the Palmeiras players every time he touched the ball.
I think he will be a bigger hit than Rivaldo). Gradually, the Brazilian side
managed to settle down and to equilibrate the match. In the 36th minute,
they pulled one goal back. Fábio Júnior got the ball inside the box, turned
around and sent a weak lob over goalkeeper Córdoba, who was expecting a
low shot and wasn't able to recover. One minute after the goal, a shameful
scene for South American football happened: two fans entered the pitch and
assaulted one of the assistant referees. The match had to be stopped for
eight minutes while the official was recovering. Two minutes after play was
restarted, Alexandre was correctly sent off for a criminal tackle on
Traverso.
Early in the second half, Boca had two great chances to score, but Marcos
stopped them with two nice saves. After that, Palmeiras took control of the
match, and finally pulled level in the 66th minute. Arce took a corner from
the left side and the ball deflected on two Boca defenders before going in.
Both teams had good chances to take the lead, but they stopped in the hands
of the goalkeepers. Five minutes from time Matellán was sent off for a very
harsh tackle on Basílio.
With the aggregate score tied at 4x4, the match had to be decided on the
penalty shootout, where Boca Juniors proved to be more focused. A curious
fact. Palmeiras decided 8 of their last 11 Libertadores Cup ties in the
penalty shootout. They won 6 out of those 8 decisions, and their only two
losses have come against Boca Juniors.
Red Cards : Alexandre (Palmeiras), Matellán (Boca)
SHOOTOUT PALMEIRAS BOCA JUNIORS
Alex (miss) Riquelme (goal)
Lopes (goal) Traverso (miss)
Basílio (miss) Delgado (goal)
Muñoz (goal) Bermúdez (goal)
Arce (miss)
7 JUNE 2001
BOCA JUNIORS 2 : Schelotto 43, Barijho 54
PALMEIRAS 2 : Alex 18, Fábio Júnior 53
This was a very intense match, typical of clashes between Brazilian and
Argentinean sides. Palmeiras got a good result, drawing at the dreaded La
Bombonera Stadium, but they feel they could have had more, if it wasn't for
the mistakes of the referee. The Brazilian side opened the scoring in the
18th minute: Felipe crossed the ball from the left side and the Boca
defenders just watched Alex get to it and fire the ball into the corner of
the net. Naturally, the home side pressed forward, but found it very hard to
break Palmeiras' defence. In the 43rd minute Boca was helped by referee
Ubaldo Aquino, who awarded them a very questionable penalty. Schelotto
stepped up and converted it. Palmeiras regained the lead in the 53rd minute,
against the run of play. Magrão made a great pass to Fábio Júnior, who was
left in great position to score, and made no mistake. But Boca Juniors
equalised in the ensuing play, thanks to a great move by Riquelme, who
dribbled past two Palmeiras defenders inside the box and passed the ball to
Barijho, who scored from eight yards out. In the 62nd minute, there was
another mistake by the referee, who failed to award Palmeiras a clear
penalty committed by goalkeeper Córdoba on Magrão. It was Boca that had
the best scoring chances in the final minutes, but then it was time for Marcos
to shine, making three crucial saves.
Red Cards : Barijho (Boca), Fernando (Palmeiras)
CRUZ AZUL 2 : Cardozo 36, Palencia 75
ROSARIO CENTRAL 0
Cruz Azul is just one step away from becoming the first ever Mexican team to
reach the Libertadores Cup final. Playing at home, Cruz Azul pressed forward
from the start. In the 36th minute, they opened the scoring: Palencia sent a
through ball to Cardozo, who entered the box, dribbled past the keeper and
scored. The home side wasted many chances to stretch their lead, until they
finally scored their second goal, in the 75th minute, with Palencia
converting a penalty kick. Cruz Azul could have sealed the tie, but their
profligacy in front of the net allowed Rosario Central to stay alive for the
second leg.
Red Card : Pérez (Rosario)
Tomaz R. Alves
tomaz@trivela.com
http://trivela.com
|
