Universidad Catolica upset Gremio in Brazil
Reuters - Wednesday 27 April 2011, 03:41
BUENOS AIRES - Brazil's Gremio are on
the brink of elimination from the last 16 of the Libertadores
Cup after going down 2-1 at home to Universidad Catolica of
Chile on Tuesday.
One of five Brazilian teams in the last 16, Gremio were
reduced to 10 men in the 34th minute after referee Nestor Pitana
sent striker Borges off for elbowing defender David Henriquez in
the face at the Olimpico in Porto Alegre.
Six minutes before the red-card incident, Lucas Pratto raced
onto a pass from Marcelo Canete and hit a right-footed shot low
past goalkeeper Marcelo to give the Chilean champions a 1-0
lead.
The Brazilian side, champions in 1983 and 1995, hit back
just before the hour when midfielder Douglas struck a
left-footed shot from 30 metres into the top right-hand corner
of Paulo Garces's net.
Catolica restored their lead quarter of an hour from time
when winger Fernando Meneses crossed from the right and Pratto
headed past Marcelo from point blank range for his sixth goal of
the competition.
"We won because we managed to decipher the match before
playing it... we took a big step, that gives us hopes,"
Catolica's coach Juan Antonio Pizzi told reporters.
TWO RED
At Velez Sarsfield's Fortin (fortress), strikers turned
providers as Santiago Silva then Juan Manuel Martinez laid on
the goals for midfielder Augusto Fernandez in the opening 10
minutes to give the Argentine's a 3-0 win over LDU Quito in
Buenos Aires.
Silva crossed from the left in the seventh minute and
Fernandez ghosted in at the far post to hit the ball first time
into Alexander Dominguez's net.
Three minutes later, Martinez beat three defenders in a mazy
run from the left and played the ball into space in the box
where Fernandez steered it past Dominguez.
LDU forward Luis Bolanos was sent off for a second booking
eight minutes into the second half.
A minute later, the goalkeeper came out late to a cross from
left-back Emiliano Papa and central defender Sebastian Dominguez
headed Velez further ahead.
Defender Neicer Reasco left LDU with nine men for the final
22 minutes when he was sent off for kicking Papa in the groin.
Brazilian teams Cruzeiro, the favourites, and Santos are in
action on Wednesday followed by holders Internacional and
Fluminense on Thursday.