Sudamericana Final: Paraguayans Return Home

The first unique final in the history of the Copa Sudamericana will be held in our country, on Saturday, November 9th, at 5:30 PM, at La Nueva Olla Azulgrana of Cerro Porteño Club. Independiente del Valle from Ecuador and Colón from Santa Fe are the protagonists of this story that holds a special significance for Paraguay.

Within the Colón team, there are two Paraguayans, Marcelo Estigarribia and Jorge Ortega, both with a history in Cerro Porteño and the possibility of winning at the home of the Club del Pueblo.

El Chelo started his career in the youth divisions of Azulgrana, made his debut with Cerro's jersey in the Clausura of 2006, and had two cycles with the team (2006-2008 and 2016) in which he played 84 matches: 67 in the domestic league, 8 in the Copa Libertadores, and 9 in the Copa Sudamericana. Estigarribia scored 7 goals, all in the domestic championship.

Jorge Ortega's situation is somewhat different, as he started in the youth teams of Tacuary and in 2013, at the age of 22, he made the leap from Rubio Ñu to Cerro Porteño, the team he supports.

However, the then coach Francisco Arce did not consider him and he only played in 2 matches in the Sudamericana that year, against the Universidad Católica of Chile. He did not play any matches in the domestic league and did not score any goals, leaving the institution the following year.

On Saturday, both players could celebrate in a special place for them.