They were far superior in both play and result. Racing Club won 6-1 against Huachipato in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana and secured a spot in the quarter-finals. The match was played at the Cilindro de Avellaneda, where the Academy finished the series with great style, having previously won 2-0 in the first leg in Chile.
The Academy made a strong comeback in an international tournament, as they reached the quarter-finals of the Sudamericana for the first time in seven years, since 2017. Racing established a good lead in the first leg, was devastating in the return leg, and is shaping up as one of the top contenders for the title. In contrast, in the preliminary round, Huachipato had recovered against Racing de Montevideo, in a series where the Acereros had been defeated 3-2 at home but managed to win in Montevideo and prevailed on penalties.
From start to finish, Racing was a juggernaut. In the 10th minute, they took the lead 1-0 in Avellaneda, following a great play on the left, with a back pass from Colombian Juan Fernando Quintero and the appearance of young Baltasar Rodríguez, who fired a strong right-footed shot, giving more peace of mind to the local fans.
On the local side, Adrián “Maravilla” Martínez and Juan Fernando Quintero stood out, just the authors of the goals that secured their victory in Chile. The forward, lethal, is the scoring card for Gustavo Costas’ team. And it was Maravilla himself, in the 26th minute, who scored the 2-0 with a half-turn, following a very good run and cross from Facundo Mura. Almost immediately, in the 31st minute, the visitors lost the ball easily, and Martínez, who could have scored against the goalkeeper, was not selfish and passed it to Colombian Johan Carbonero to make it 3-0.
In the 37th minute, there was a Chilean goal, following a great action from Maximiliano Rodríguez, but it was disallowed for offside. Just before the half-time whistle, Maravilla was fouled for a penalty, and Juanfer Quintero’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Fabián Cerda. And when the whistle was about to blow, another goal came from Carbonero, who scored brilliantly to make it 4-0.
In the second half, the home team pushed forward again, but the discount for Huachipato came just three minutes in, with a penalty converted by Venezuelan Brayan Palmezano. However, the 5-1 for Racing quickly followed, after the visitors failed to clear the ball after a corner, and young defender Marco Di Cesare appeared to increase the lead six minutes later. Then, at the 10-minute mark, he made it 6-1 with a great finish by Agustín Almendra against a completely opened and lost defense. They could have increased the lead, and without a doubt, the last 30 minutes were surplus.
Racing had just defeated Newell’s 1-0 in Rosario in the eleventh round of the League Tournament, with a goal from Roger Martínez. The win placed them three points behind leaders Huracán. On their side, Huachipato also entered this match with a victory, after beating Deportes Copiapó 2-0, with goals from Maximiliano Gutiérrez and Mario Briceño. But they stand 13th and far behind in local football.
This was Racing’s 11th match of 2024 in which they scored three or more goals, and undoubtedly, it is their best annual mark. Costas’ team had just imposed themselves on Huachipato 2-0 last Tuesday, and in the rematch, they trampled over their rival. And now they look ahead, towards the big Sunday classic at home against Independiente.