Fortaleza knocked down Boca Juniors this Thursday, 4-2, with two goals from the Argentine Juan Martin Lucero and three assists from his compatriot Tomás Pochettino that place the Brazilian team with full victories at the head of Group D of the Copa Sudamericana.
The Xeneize team dissolved like a sugar cube in the Arena Castelão, where they only stood up in the first half and ended up falling asleep in the second to concede a defeat that was inappropriate for a six-time Libertadores champion.
Lucero opened the scoring for the lions and Merentiel left everything the same, but Fortaleza broke loose after the break with goals from Lucero, again, and two more from Yago Pikachu. Special mention also for Pochettino, who gave three assists.
Boca made up the result in the final stretch of the match through Kevin Zenón.
Buenos Aires’ formation is complicated by this defeat, as it remains second with four points, five less than Fortaleza.
In the other group match, Paraguayan Sportivo Trinidense added their first three points after beating, 2-0, Bolivian Nacional Potosí, who are listed with one.
In the Sudamericana, only the first place goes directly to the round of 16 and the second is forced to play for qualification in a previous qualifying round against one of the third places in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
Tonight’s game could not have started better for the team led by Argentine Juan Pablo Vojvoda.
The fifth minute had not passed when Boca’s defense faltered, Figal got confused and gave the ball to Pochettino, who quickly put a pass into space for Lucero.
The Argentine entered the area and defined before the departure of Sergio Romero.
The party seemed to collapse after the fifteenth minute, when the Xeneize team regrouped and began to grow despite the advanced line of pressure from the locals.
He had to press little to find the tie. Play between Langoni and Saralegui, center and first shot by Merentiel, an old acquaintance of Brazilian football after his time at Palmeiras.
With everything equal, Fortaleza opted for a flash from Yago Pikachu, the team’s standard bearer, capable of playing as a winger, winger, midfielder and even forward, whatever they give him.
He was about to put the lions ahead again. Fabra and Langoni also had the comeback goal very close for Boca.
Fortaleza regained its intensity after the break. Zé Welison first warned with a shot from afar and then the hurricane broke out.
Lucero scored the second on a set piece taken by Pochettino. Everyone thought he was going to cross from long range, but he gently put the ball at the top of the area for the header from the number 9 team.
Pochettino also assisted on Pikachu’s first, which he finished off Romero almost without an angle.
And the second from the side would still be missing, with his chest, at will, after a faulty cross from Machuca that went over Romero, who did not have his best night. Zenón would make it 4-2 in the last minutes for a Boca team that disappointed on Brazilian soil.
– Datasheet:
4. Fortress: John Richard; Yago Pikachu, Emmanuel Britez, Thomas Cardona (m.23, Titi), Bruno Pacheco; Hercules (m.81, Emmanuel Martinez), Peter Augustus, Ze Welison (m.73, Lucas Sasha), Thomas Pochettino; John Martin Star (d.82, Renato Kayzer) and Imanol Machuca (d.73, Moses).
Trainer: Juan Pablo Vojvoda.
2. Boca Juniors: Sergio Rosemary; Lautaro Di Lollo (m.64, Luis Advincula), Christian Lema, Nicolas Figal, Marcelo Saracchi; Jabes Saralegui (m.72, William Matthias Fernandez), Christian Medina, Ezekiel Fernandez, Frank Fabra (m.64, Kevin Zenon); Miguel Merentiel (m.82, Lucas Janson) and Luca Langoni (m.64, Norberto Briasco).
Coach: Diego Martínez.
Goals: 1-0, m.4: Star. 1-1, m.21: Merentiel. 2-1, m.51: Star. 3-1, m.55 Pikachu. 4-1, m.63: Pikachu. 4-2, m.85: Zenon.
Referee: Colombian Wilmar Roldán warned Saracchi, Merentiel, João Ricardo, Pedro Augusto and Sasha.
Incidents: match of the third day of Group D of the Copa Sudamericana played at the Arena Castelão, in the city of Fortaleza. EFE
#Fortaleza #knocks #Boca #Juniors #Argentine #duo
