Rancagua (Chile), Apr 18 (EFE).- A goal by Mishael Dávila, after an assist by Bryan Carrasco and an error by goalkeeper Beycker Velásquez, gave Palestino its first victory in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday against the Venezuelan Estudiantes de Mérida, match played at the Teniente in the city of Rancagua.
Those led by Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez came up with the perfect plan: touch in midfield, high pressure and vertigo in attack, a recipe that was effective for the Arabs last season but that had only been seen this season. dropper.
Vitamina dispensed with the intermittent Bruno Barticcioto, one of the classiest players on the squad, and opted for Dávila and Jonathan Benitez as spearheads for Maximiliano Salas, who worked to dislodge the strong Venezuelan defensive line, and protected them with Carrasco, Fernando Cornejo and Agustin Farías.
The Arabs also came out very strong: in just 18 minutes they had three clear scoring chances, one of them, after seven minutes, a shot by Mishael Dávila that deflected after hitting a defender and hitting the post.
The Venezuelans could barely respond, but when they did they were in a certain danger, not so much because of their merits in attack as the demerits of a somewhat nervous local defense.
The game dragged on without major news, dominated by those from Vitamina, until the last quarter of an hour of the second part in which everything was decided.
First, the Venezuelans were able to take the lead through Matos, who inexplicably did not know how to define a few meters from the goal with Rigamonti surpassed.
A few minutes later, at minute 52, Carrasco edged the band from the three quarters of the field, advanced to the end of the large area and put a low cross into the goalkeeper’s area that Velasquez did not save on his way out and Dávila brought the nets alone with the inertia of the race.
From that minute on the game got dirty: Palestino decided to tie up his booty and Estudiantes de Mérida came out of the cave, although the best chances fell on the side of the locals, who were able to double the advantage three times, two of them for a Barticcioto who entered with a crooked foot.
In the final minutes the two expulsions arrived, first by Jesús Paredes, for a doubtful tackle on Collao, who replaced an injured Rigamonti (bad news for Palestino on a happy night).
And after minute 90 of Farías, who will be a significant casualty for the next game, in which the Arabs against San Lorenzo de Almagro, their possible rival for second place.