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The last teams to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores will be defined this Thursday and Fortaleza from Brazil complicates their options. In the away match against Estudiantes La Plata, the team started losing and minutes later they were left with one less player: Yago Pikachu applied a 'serious tackle' and VAR expelled him.
The 'Pincha' had taken a 1-0 lead in the scoreboard, with a goal by Manuel Castro, before the ninth minute, and desperation broke out in the 'Tricolor do Pici'. Under that context, around the 20th minute, a dispute occurred on the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi turf, when Mauro Boselli was marked by Marcelo Conceicao.
The play seemed to become a foul by the Estudiantes attacker, due to slight contact on the face of his opponent, although referee Esteban Ostojich did not penalize the foul. Only a few seconds later, Yago Pikachu arrived in the area and, in his intention to steal the ball, 'tackled' the leg of the forward.
Initially, the foul was not called, but immediately the VAR acted: there was a call to the center referee. The Uruguayan referee reviewed the images and did not hesitate to punish Fortaleza's top star with a red card, who left the field with noticeable bitterness.
Due to a tackle by Yago Pikachu against Boselli, Fortaleza is left with 10 players vs. Estudiantes in the Libertadores. pic.twitter.com/KSgC45NXPJ
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) July 8, 2022
The preview of Estudiantes vs. Fortaleza
The Argentine team obtained an important draw (1-1) in the first leg played in Brazilian territory and now hopes for a victory to seal their place in the next phase. The advantage is that they will have the support of their fans.
In the preview of the match, coach Ricardo Zielinski highlighted the virtues of his rivals. "In Brazil we played a good match and we will seek to repeat it (...) They secured their qualification to the round of 16 with good performances as visitors and we take that into account," he said in a press conference.
Similarly, he stated that his team is prepared in case the points tie continues. "(The players) practiced penalties, sometimes we do it and sometimes we don't. However, I think the contexts are different, it's not the same in training as it is in a decisive moment on a pitch with 40,000 people," he added.