Club Olimpia scored from a free-kick in the dying seconds to take a major step toward a fourth Copa Libertadores title with a 2-0 triumph in the first leg of the final against Atletico Mineiro of Brazil on Wednesday.
Central defender Alejando Silva had given the Paraguayan side a 22nd-minute lead with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, before midfielder Wilson Pittoni sent the home fans into raptures with a priceless second goal three minutes into stoppage-time.
Atletico defender Richarlyson will miss the second leg in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on Wednesday next week after he was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 89th minute, but the biggest disappointment for the visitors was the performance of Ronaldinho.
Photo: AFP
The playmaker had a poor game for the tournament favorites, with coach Cuca hauling him off after a little more than an hour to send on Guilherme, who scored a key equalizer in last week’s semi-final, second leg against Newell’s Old Boys of Argentina.
“He wasn’t good, He wasn’t playing well and he’s a player like any other,” Cuca said of Ronaldinho, who glared disapprovingly at the coach as he trudged off.
Despite the setback, Atletico will not be giving up hope of securing a first Copa Libertadores victory after they reached the final by overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit to Newell’s, before advancing on penalties.
Photo: Reuters
The Brazilian side’s best chance came in the 77th minute when striker Jo was set up by Guilherme with a good chance for an equalizer, but his effort was well saved by Olimpia goalkeeper Martin Silva with his foot.
“I think Olimpia played some good football against such good opponents as Mineiro,” Olimpia coach Ever Almeida said.
“We have the most Argentine [passionate] fans in Brazil, we’re going to turn this result around. The fans will pack the Mineirao,” Atletico president Alexandre Kalil said.
“In these circumstances, the Mineirao has become the ideal stadium,” added Kalil, who had originally complained about not being allowed to stage the second leg at Atletico’s Independencia Stadium.
The organizing body ruled the 23,000-capacity Independencia was too small.
Also on Wednesday, last year’s Copa Libertadores winners Corinthians completed a 4-1 aggregate win over Copa Sudamericana holders Sao Paulo to lift the Super Cup.
Chen Yi-tung (陳奕通) secured a historic Olympic berth on Sunday by winning the senior men’s foil event at the 2024 Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Fencing Qualifiers in United Arab Emirates. Chen defeated Samuel Elijah of Singapore 15-4 in the final in Dubai to secure the only wild card in the event, making him the first male Olympian fencer from Taiwan in 36 years and only the sixth Taiwanese fencer to ever qualify for the quadrennial event. The last appearance by a Taiwanese male fencer at the Olympics was in 1988, when Wang San-tsai (王三財) and Cheng Ming-hsiang (鄭明祥) competed in Seoul. The
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang