He's the champion!

Paolo Guerrero, along with Liga de Quito, won the title of the Copa Sudamericana 2023, after winning a thrilling penalty shootout against Fortaleza at the Domingo Burgueño Miguel Stadium. In this way, the Ecuadorian team added their second star in this international tournament.

RELATED: Paolo Guerrero and his impressive value after winning the Copa Sudamericana

The Peruvian forward was an important piece for LDU's qualification to the final stage. Despite that, the 'Depredador' had to live a complicated moment during the match, after missing the first penalty kick.

After the final whistle, the forward spoke to the media and showed his frustration for the mistake he made. He also didn't hesitate to blame the referee and revealed what he said to the authority minutes before taking the ball to shoot.

"I reached the penalty spot and saw the referee talking to both goalkeepers. While I'm still heated, everything is fine, I still have strength, but once you stop, you start to cool down. The guy kept talking and talking", he commented.

When asked repeatedly by the press, Guerrero assured that the judge's delay influenced his decision to shoot. "He took his time and when it was my turn to shoot, I couldn't say 'I can't shoot anymore'. I kicked it, one has to assume it with responsibility. I said 'I'm going to shoot with a lot of force to one side' and unfortunately it didn't come out with that much force", he added.

Conmebol celebrated Paolo Guerrero

Through Conmebol's social media accounts, they celebrated Guerrero with an emotional post accompanied by a photograph of the striker posing with the trophy and medal of the tournament. "The eternal Paolo Guerrero: the Peruvian forward and his CONMEBOL Sudamericana with Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito".