Talleres de Córdoba demonstrated, once again, why it is considered one of the best teams in Argentine soccer. Despite having been on the verge of reaching the quarterfinals of the League Cup, the Córdoba team closed its participation in the domestic tournament with a heroic performance against Independiente in the Libertadores de América, after overcoming an adverse result with inferiority numerical.
With pride intact and the ambition to defend the leadership of Group B of the Copa Libertadores, the team led by Walter Ribonetto crossed the Andes Mountains to face their match against Cobresal, in the charming Zorros del Desierto stadium. And from the first movements, the Argentine cast tried to impose conditions.
When Bolivian referee Ivo Méndez’s timer was over a quarter of an hour, Marcos Portillo took charge of a corner kick to supply Kevin Mansilla, who rose in the Chilean area and placed the ball against Leandro Requena’s left post. The Colombian’s cry brought peace of mind to La T, although a few moments later he suffered some defensive lapses that could have led to the home owner’s tie.
Through the same way of stopping the ball, Gustavo Huerta’s team managed to break the last Argentine line, but after several minutes of analysis in the VAR, the authorities annulled Franco Bechtholdt’s conquest due to a clear advanced position. They were moments of great tension that led the protagonists to leave the game. And when the Chileans were still complaining about the goal that was not, Ramón Sosa escaped alone until he was face to face with the local goalkeeper and celebrated the 2-0 with an exquisite and effective touch that generated delirium in the popular visitor.
Talleres’ victory could have been with a larger advantage, but the good performance of Leandro Requena avoided the Andean catastrophe. The goalkeeper had brilliant production to defuse the danger in the face of the constant attacks of Federico Girotti and Ramón Sosa. Beyond the result, the Cordobans argued the hope of qualifying for the round of 16 of the most coveted tournament in America with a brilliant performance that allowed them to take over the top of their zone with 7 points. Cobresal, on the other hand, failed again before its people and will have to change its objectives to try to win the consolation prize of going to play in the Copa Sudamericana. In the land of pisco, the one that caught on was fernet.
Formations
Cobresal: Leandro Requena, Guillermo Pacheco, Franco Bechtholdt, Francisco Alarcón, Rodrigo Sandoval, Leonardo Valencia, Leandro Navarro, Cristopher Mesías, Franco García, Diego Coelho and César Munder. DT: Gustavo Huerta.
Córdoba Workshops: Guido Herrera, Gastón Benavidez, Matías Catalán, Kevin Mantilla, Miguel Navarro, Rubén Botta, Diego Ortegoza, Marcos Portillo, Ramón Sosa, Ramiro Ruiz Rodriguez and Federico Girotti. DT: Walter Ribonetto.
Referee: Bolivian Ivo Méndez.
Court: Zorros del Desierto Stadium, Calama.
Positions of Group B of the Copa Libertadores