Author: Soorya G
Vanderlei Luxemburgo opted to highlight Corinthians’ progress in La Plata on Tuesday night, earning a place in the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana with a penalty shootout win after a 1-0 defeat to Estudiantes in normal play. The coach preferred not to dwell on the fact that his team almost missed out on a place in the Copa Sudamericana,
thanks to a remarkable away goal conceded by Estudiantes
. Even so, Luxemburgo praised his team, who won on penalties despite having several chances during the second leg.
“The result is positive, as we have secured our qualification. A real misstep only occurs when the desired result is not achieved. We should really appreciate this progression to the next stage. We were up against one of the most formidable teams we’ve faced so far. The result of the first leg allowed us to suffer a defeat here. With a goalkeeper capable of saving penalties and competent penalty takers, we were well prepared for the challenges that awaited us” said the coach.
Although Corinthians went into the match with a slender one-goal lead, that advantage disappeared in just 54 seconds, with Mauro Méndez scoring for Estudiantes at the UNO stadium. After that, Estudiantes took total control, with 30 shots on goal. However, their efforts were constantly thwarted by Cássio’s skillful saves and several of their attempts hit the post, much to the delight of the visitors. In the penalty shootout, Timão emerged victorious, with the crossbar saving the team once again. Corinthians converted three of their first four penalties, with midfielder Guilano’s attempt being saved in the bottom corner. However, their opponents scored only two of the five penalties in the shoot-out, and the Corinthians emerged victorious, progressing to the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament.
“I’m happy to be at Corinthians, to have taken the team to the semi-final of the South American Cup and we’re two games away from reaching the final. I’m happy and I want to congratulate the players. We knew we were going to suffer because of the quality of our opponents, but we have to cherish this passage to the next round.” added Luxemburgo.