Libertadores: Guadalajara sneak through despite defeat
Reuters - Wednesday 05 May 2010, 04:14
BUENOS AIRES, May 4 (Reuters) - Velez Sarsfield's season
came to a premature end on Tuesday when their 2-0 home win over
Guadalajara could not prevent their exit from the Libertadores
Cup 3-2 on aggregate in the first knockout round.
The Argentine side, South American champions in 1994, took
an early lead when Uruguayan striker Santiago Silva sent a
glancing header inside the far post from a Maxi Moralez cross
from the left in the third minute.
Velez had the Mexicans against the ropes towards the end
and substitute Rolando Zarate out-jumped keeper Liborio Sanchez
to head their second from close range in the final minute,
setting up a dramatic four minutes of stoppage time.
"The team was pure heart in the second half but we couldn't
win," Zarate told Fox Sports.
Champions of the Argentine Clausura in the second half of
last season, Velez were left empty-handed having put all their
efforts into the tournament and dropped points in the league
this year after fielding a reserve side in several matches to
rest the first team.
The damage had been done in Guadalajara where the "Chivas",
who move into a quarter-final tie with Once Caldas of Colombia
or Paraguay's Libertad, won the first leg 3-0 last week.
Three-times winners Sao Paulo made heavy weather of their
tie with Peruvian champions Universitario, taking it 3-1 on
penalties after finishing 0-0 on aggregate. They hit the bar
once in each half.
Universitario goalkeeper Luis Llontop, who had kept his
team in the game with some good saves, also gave them a head
start in the shootout by saving Sao Paulo's first spot kick
taken by keeper and captain Rogerio Ceni.
However, once ahead the Peruvians lost their nerve and took
poor penalties, with Ceni saving two and the other going wide
as Sao Paulo progressed to a quarter-final tie against fellow
Brazilians Cruzeiro or Nacional of Uruguay.