Cerro Porteño had to sweat to win 1-0 against Universitario de Peru in the rematch of the second phase of the Libertadores. A great goal by the Argentine Federico Carrizo gave the classification to Francisco Arce's team.
THE MATCH. A completely strange atmosphere compared to what we are used to in La Nueva Olla. The Conmebol sanction for Cerro Porteño meant that the match was played behind closed doors without the colorful support of the blue and red fans.
In terms of football, Cerro Porteño was superior in the first half, where they knew how to handle the threads of the game in a series where they had an advantage thanks to the away goal in the first leg.
The Cyclone attacked a lot from the wings, especially from the left side where there was a great partnership between Santiago Arzamendia and Federico Carrizo.
However, the best scoring opportunity in the first half came from a set piece. A shot by Santiago Arzamendia hit the crossbar of goalkeeper José Carvallo.
The great thrill of the goal came in the second half. At 61 minutes, Federico Carrizo received a ball on the left side, started to move diagonally avoiding the marking of several Peruvian players until he found the angle to unleash a tremendous shot that ended up in the upper right corner of Carvallo's goal for the 1-0 lead for Cerro Porteño.
After taking the lead, Cerro was forced to retreat their lines against the Peruvian advance, which had them on the ropes in search of the equalizer. However, that goal did not come despite the tense moments that the blue and red team endured.
Cerro Porteño defeated Universitario 1-0 and will play the third phase of the Libertadores probably against Barcelona from Ecuador, who won 4-0 against Sporting Cristal from Peru in the first leg. The rematch will be played this Thursday at 21:30.