São Paulo draws with Libertad and qualifies for the knockout stages of the Libertadores
17-year-old boy scores late goal, Tricolor draws 1-1 with Libertad, at Morumbis, and goes to the round of 16
Summary
São Paulo drew 1-1 with Libertad from Paraguay in the fifth round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage and qualified in advance for the round of 16 of the competition. With one less player since the first half and a goal from young Lucca in the final minutes, Tricolor secured a place in the knockout stages of the continental tournament. Now, it seeks to confirm its leadership of Group D.
What a star!
Striker Lucca, just 17 years old, secured São Paulo’s place in the round of 16 of the Conmebol Libertadores. At 39 minutes into the second half, coach Luis Zubeldía decided to put the youngster in place of Lucas Ferreira. In one of his first touches of the ball as a professional, the youngster received the ball on the left wing, got past two defenders and struck hard towards the goal. No chance for Morínigo. It was the goal that would qualify the Tricolor for the knockout stage!
In the round of 16
The 1-1 draw with Libertad qualified São Paulo for the round of 16 of the Libertadores. After five games played, Tricolor has 11 points. The Paraguayans are second in Group D, with eight points. Alianza Lima, which still has four games to play, has four points and can only reach 10. Tricolor, therefore, can no longer lose its place in the knockout stages.
The first half
São Paulo, seeking early qualification for the round of 16 of the Libertadores, started the match by putting pressure on Libertad. They created a great chance with Ferreira, on the left side, and almost opened the scoring. Midfielder Alisson, however, was sent off before the 20th minute and made life difficult for the Tricolor. The Paraguayans started to get to goalkeeper Rafael’s area, finish and even try to put pressure on, but the score remained at zero.
The second half
With one less player, São Paulo returned from the break looking for a draw. They defended well, but were unable to threaten Libertad, who began to attack. Due to a mistake by right-back Cédric, Tricolor committed a foul near Rafael’s area. Aguilar deflected the shot and opened the scoring. The home team then tried to regain control of the match, but were unable to threaten Morínigo. Everything changed when Lucca came off the bench to, in his debut at 17 years old, secure the draw and Tricolor’s qualification for the round of 16 of the Libertadores.
