Libertad showed their strength at Humberto Primo and Villanueva in the penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in regulation time, forcing an additional match on neutral ground to determine the winner of the Clausura liguista Football tournament.
The milrrayitas sought revenge in the same way Rosario beat them in the Apertura, denying Horacio Schumacher’s side the chance to celebrate their promotion in front of their fans.
A large number of fans from both sides filled the Coloso stands, but it was the Villa Rosas supporters who went out to celebrate with their players.
“It’s not just words, but we deserved this joy. We finished the regular phase in first place without deserving it, and this match was, for us, a demonstration of character. I believe the contest was very tight for the first 90 minutes, but after that we were very determined to take the penalties,” said Thomas Becerra.
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“Did I save Nazareno Romero’s penalty? I had studied all of Rosario’s penalty takers. Despite saving Romero’s shot, tonight I will dream of that ball that I couldn’t stop on the first penalty (against Cholo Fernández) because I put my hand, it touched my forearm and went in,” he added.
The goalkeeper believes this extra final could be a step towards glory.
“We were able to perform well on a difficult field like that of Rosario, and surely the next match for the additional final will be decided by details. The only thing is that we will arrive in a very good mood; I have a lot of faith in this group,” he stressed.
During the 90 minutes, the match was balanced, with clearer chances created by the visitors, especially at the start of the second half.
“We had our moments but couldn’t capitalize. That double chance from Gastón (Santillán) and a couple of shots that came close could have tipped the scales in our favor. Regardless, we were prepared for the penalties as we practiced during the week we wanted to win this match, and we did it,” he said.
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It wasn’t a complete celebration for Rosario fans who filled the home stand and paid a warm tribute – alongside Liga del Sur officials, including president Jorge Dambolena – to Marco Ruperez, an idol of the Puntaltense institution.
“He doesn’t leave his house because he wants to be careful. How did you convince him? We showed him the Rosario jersey, and that was enough,” said a Rosario official.
Ruperez played 178 matches with the tricolor jersey and was champion three times: in 1959 and 1969 in the First Division, and in 1965 during the promotion tournament. He was also Copa Beccar Varela champion in 1961.
The yellow card received by Nungeser for having strongly protested against Vega, after a foul committed by Matías López who, while being warned, grabbed him by the neck, should have been a second yellow. Later, Libertad’s “4” converted the penalty that sealed his team’s qualification. The designated shooter was Marino, but the defender called for a shot and executed it perfectly.
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4 from Nacional, 2 from Universitario and Ceibal, 1 from River Plate, Libertad and Ferro Carril
Penalties: For Rosario, P. Fernández scored; Becerra stopped Romero’s shot, and Nungeser missed. For Libertad, Lincopán, Martorano, Ojeda and M. López all scored.
Replacements: At 45m, Brun (5) replaced J. Pérez; 63m, Zweedyk replaced Abadie; 78m, Astudillo replaced Ortuño and Gregorachuk replaced E. Blanco for Rosario; 56m, P. Pérez (5) replaced Ruiz; 69m, R. Ullmann replaced Llanos pour Libertad.
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