Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Bolivian Team Advances in Copa Sudamericana
The Bolivian team, Blooming, defeated the Uruguayan team, Plaza Colonia, on penalties in the first phase of the Copa Sudamericana. The aggregate score was 1-1, and Blooming emerged victorious in the penalty shootout, advancing to the next round.
Although Plaza Colonia won 1-0 in regular time, thanks to a goal by Alé Corvalán, it only allowed them to tie the series, as they had lost the away leg in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, by the same scoreline last week.
The teams went to penalties, and the home team missed one, while the Bolivian goalkeeper saved another, sealing Plaza Colonia's fate in the tournament. This is the first time that Blooming has advanced to the second phase of this subcontinental competition.
In the next stage, Blooming will face Junior de Barranquilla from Colombia. The Colombian team eliminated Deportivo Lara, winning both home and away.
Source: AFP
Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Goals
| Plaza Colonia 1 0 Blooming | Goal by Corvalan |
Goal for Plaza!!!!
— Valentin Fletcher (@ValeFlet) August 17, 2016
Plaza Colonia 1
Blooming 0 pic.twitter.com/YO8HDRRi4j
Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Confirmed Lineups
Blooming: Suárez; Hurtado, Duarte, Bocchino, Loras; Farell, Sejas, Vaca, Rivero; Guerreiro, and Paulo.
Plaza Colonia: Dawson; Villoldo, Gonzalez, Brunelli, Rodríguez; Vega Sosa, Caseras, Redin, Waller Martiarena; Malan, and Furia.
Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Preview
This is the first time that the Uruguayan team, Plaza Colonia, is competing in an international tournament, and they will rely on home advantage and the support of the crowd to overturn the tie.
Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Match Schedule
| Country | Channel |
| Peru | 4:30 p.m. |
| Colombia | 4:30 p.m. |
| Ecuador | 4:30 p.m. |
| Chile | 6:30 p.m. |
| Argentina | 6:30 p.m. |
| Mexico | 4:30 p.m. |
| Venezuela | 5:30 p.m. |
"We are one goal away from equalizing the series. We shouldn't lose hope. We can dream of qualifying," said Plaza Colonia coach Leonel Rocco, as reported by local media Tenfield.
The coach's words demonstrate that the modest Uruguayan team, which has lost several key players from their successful campaign, such as midfielder Nicolás Dibble (now at Peñarol), believes in turning the series around and advancing to the next phase.
It is expected that Rocco will field a similar lineup to the one that started in Santa Cruz, with Gonzalo Malán and Francisco Vega leading the attack and Kevin Dawson in goal, who made several crucial saves in the first leg.
Similarly, Blooming coach and former Bolivian national team manager, Mauricio Soria, is not expected to make many changes in relation to the lineup that played in the first leg and the draw in the opening match of the Bolivian Apertura against Wilstermann over the weekend.
Therefore, it is predicted that the Bolivian attack will be led by the Brazilian, Joao Paulo Sales (who scored the equalizer against Wilstermann), and the Argentine, Mariano Guerreiro.
The winner of this tie will face the winner of the clash between Venezuelan side Deportivo Lara and Colombian team Junior de Barranquilla.
Blooming vs. Plaza Colonia: Probable Lineups
Plaza Colonia: Kewin Dawson, Nicolás Rodríguez, Santiago Brunelli, Cristian González, Alejandro Villoldo, Alejandro Furia, Matías Caseras, Ezequías Redín, Facundo Waller, Gonzalo Malán, and Francisco Vega. Coach: Leonel Rocco
Blooming: Hugo Suárez, Miguel Hurtado, Ricardo Duarte, Emanuel Bocchino, Alan Loras, Kevin Farell, Roly Sejas, Diego Rivero, Joselito Vaca, Joao Paulo Sales, and Mariano Guerreiro. Coach: Mauricio Soria
Source: EFE
► Follow the Junior vs. Deportivo Lara match in the Copa Sudamericana 2016