(EFE). – Boca Juniors beat Palmeiras 2-0 today in the semifinal of the Copa Libertadores, thanks to a double from Darío Benedetto.
The two passengers who came from the relay bench gave the Argentine team a valuable advantage ahead of the return match that will be played next week in San Pablo.
In a tactical match, intense but with few game options, the organization led by Guillermo Barros Schelotto fulfilled all the premises before the public: win, score more than one game and keep a clean sheet.
Benedetto, que había sufrido una rotura de ligamentos cruzados el 19 de noviembre del año pasado, regresó esta temporada tras ocho meses de recuperación pero todavía no había podido volver a marcar.
El entrenador lo puso a falta de trece minutos y el delantero de 28 años convirtió por duplicado para darle la victoria al Xeneize ante un Palmeiras que hasta esta noche había perdido una sola vez en esta era de Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Verdao accumulates only one setback in 21 games – against Cerro Porteño through the Libertadores round of 16 – and a streak of 15 games wasting that the permit is the absolute ruler of Brazil.
Boca, de un andar más irregular en la Superliga argentina, encontró un triunfo vital y repitió la misma victoria que había conseguido en octavos de final frente a Libertad y en cuartos de final ante Cruzeiro.
In the first moment, a header by Carlos Izquierdoz before a false start by Weverton and the media comments from Olaza and Pavón left the home side in the features.
Por el lado del Palemeiras, Dudu y William se mostraron como opciones de contragolpe pero la pelota no lograba llegar a la posición del colombiano Miguel Borja, que se mostró muy aislado.
La solidez de la dupla central compuesta por Luan y el paraguayo Gustavo Gómez, la fortaleza de Felipe Melo y los arranques de Dudu fueron lo mejor del conjunto brasileño.
At that moment, Boca had a great offensive preponderance with Pablo Pérez and Nahitán Nández who appear in the middle alone with the ball but also to generate offensive options.
And on the bench, Barros Schelotto discovered a way to earn the money: first with the contribution of Colombian Sebastián Villa and then with forward Darío Benedetto.
Un tiro libre ejecutado magistralmente por Lucas Olaza generó un gran respuesta de Weverton para estirarse y sacar al tiro de esquina un balón muy complicado.
From that same line, Villa managed to locate the best ball for Benedetto’s header, which was thrown to the ground and surpassed the effort of the visiting goalkeeper.
Tears and emotion for a player who uncovers himself with the goal at the right time.
But it was not because two minutes from the end he won a hit from Pablo Pérez on the edge of the area, the gun and missed a furious shot that was already featureless in Verdao’s guard.
The victory will be very festive for both the players and the fans of Boca who will spend next week with the sale in São Paulo, while Palmeiras will have to try to watch the series in order to triumph in the final of some continents.