The sky-blues, who had conceded the only goal of the match before the minute was up, were unable to equalise in the remaining 96 minutes.
O’Higgins de Rancagua suffered another defeat, this time against a team that started the match in the relegation zone. The Celestes, who once again saw their goal breached due to marking errors, were unable to equalise against Huachipato and will have to settle for fighting, in what remains of the tournament, to avoid relegation.
On the pitch of the CAP stadium in Talcahuano, the Rancagua team received a fatal blow just as the action began. Everything that had been planned immediately fell apart. Before the minute of play, and with all the space in the world, the local team opened the scoring.
Venezuelan Brayan Palmezano, who had not scored in the entire tournament, found the ball on the edge of the area and took advantage of the gift, as he put the ball into a corner that was impossible for goalkeeper Diego Carreño to get to.
From then on, it was all uphill. What’s more, in the third minute, one of the central midfielders, Cristóbal Castillo, earned a well-deserved yellow card that immediately put him in a difficult position.
As the match progressed, and in a more disorderly fashion, O’Higgins tried to get close to the opposing goal, but on the counterattack, Huachipato was always dangerous.
It was not until the 33rd minute that the clearest chance for the Celeste came. A deep pass from Rabello to Bianchi saw the latter enter the area and face goalkeeper Cerda, but the Argentine’s decision was wrong, as he tried a header that went over the crossbar.
TRIED TO MATCH
In the second half, Víctor Fuentes’ team was forced to go for at least a draw, as the partial loss conditioned them greatly in the standings. The order allowed them to generate opportunities, but with a poor level of concretion, as in all of 2024.
With two substitutes, Esteban Calderón and Camilo Moya, the Capo was the protagonist in the first minutes of the second half. What’s more, in the 55th minute, Calderón missed a goal in the goalmouth, sending the ball over the crossbar after capturing a cross from Joaquín Tapia.
Later, Fuentes took Rabello off the field to bring in Yorman Zapata, looking for a new variant in the offense. The same happened with the entry of Arnaldo Castillo and Carlos Auzquin, but nothing. With the lights off and luck on the other side, it was difficult.
Towards the end, a new goal saved Huachipato from equalising. A header from centre-back Leonel Mosevich crashed into the crossbar, showing that, despite trying, this O’Higgins is condemned to suffer during this season.
In the end, another defeat meant that the team would only have to fight to avoid falling into disgrace, avoid relegation and, consequently, try to stay in the First Division by finishing the tournament as high as possible.
At the moment, the club has 27 points out of a possible 69, and next Saturday it will be forced to add points against a rival that, like the steelworkers, has not won for a while.
Match sheet
Huachipato (1): Fabian Cerda, Joaquin Gutierrez, Benjamin Gazzolo, Benjamin Mellado (75′, Renzo Malanca), Antonio Castillo, Claudio Sepulveda, Brayan Palmezano (67′, Sebastian Saez), Carlo Villanueva, Julian Brea (61′, Yimmy Martinez), Thiago Vecino (67′, Maximiliano Gutierrez), Cris Martinez (75′, Leandro Diaz). Coach: Igor Oca.
O’Higgins (0): Diego Carreno, Moses Gonzalez, Leonel Mosevich, Juan Ignacio Diaz, Vicente Fernandez, Juan Fuentes, Cristobal Castillo (46′, Camilo Moya), Diego Buonanotte (72′, Arnaldo Castillo), Bryan Rabello (58′, Yorman Zapata), Joaquin Tapia (81′, Carlos Auzqui), Octavio Bianchi (46′, Esteban Calderon). Coach: Victor Fuentes.
Referees: Felipe Gonzalez, Edson Cisternas, Cristian Cerda, Matias Valenzuela.
VAR: Fernando Véjar, Diego Gamboa.
Cautioned: Castillo, Díaz, Moya (OHI).
Goals: 1-0, 1′, Palmezano.
Stadium: CAP, Talcahuano.
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