Snak

Fernando Fernández har bragt Guaraní foran på hovedstød i Asuncion...1-1 sammenlagt pt....

Halvleg i Asuncion ....

Guarani 1 - Universidad de Chile 0

gult kort til chilenernes uruguyanske angriber Rodrigo Mora her i slutningnaf 1 halvleg. fortjnt paraguyansk føring.

Why the Copa Libertadores is must-watch TV

There is plenty to complain about in the Copa Libertadores, South America´s premier club competition.

The pitches can be poor and the refereeing even worse. Fan behaviour can be a cause for concern, games can be played in a depressingly mean spirit and the quality is not always that good. It is not the Champions League.

But the Libertadores is always worth following -- indeed, it deserves a much higher international profile. It is consistently exciting; last year´s final, when Atletico Mineiro of Brazil beat Olimpia of Paraguay on penalties, was no great shakes from a technical point of view. But I have rarely experienced an atmosphere as intense as the one that night in Belo Horizonte´s Mineirao Stadium.

And there is another reason for paying close attention to the Libertadores; it is a fabulous production line of young talent. This, as so many of the more negative sides of the competition, is already on show this year, with the qualification round underway and the final places in the group phase being filled.

One of them has gone to Nacional of Uruguay, one of the historical giants of the Libertadores. This is the 40th time they have taken part in the competition, which they have won on three occasions -- though not since 1988.

The date is significant. The global market in footballers was beginning to open up. At that point it was Italy’s Serie A that was hoovering up the best players in the world. And once such a process had gathered momentum, it was impossible for a country such as Uruguay, with a population little greater than 3 million, to hold on to its best players.

Like the rest of the country´s clubs, the Uruguayan giants Penarol (five times winners of the Libertadores, but not since 1987) and Nacional had teams which could broadly be divided into three component parts: veterans winding down their careers after spells in Europe, youngsters making a name for themselves on the way to Europe and those in the middle who were not considered good enough to attract foreign attention.

That is basically the way it remains. The reality has long since sunk in. Should the likes of a Luis Suarez come along, enjoy him while he lasts because before long he will be playing his football in a bigger league. In the meantime the Uruguayan fan can only get to watch him when he comes back to play for his country -- fans of Nacional, though, can at least carry round with them the hope that in a few years´ time the fiery Liverpool striker will take the sentimental decision to round off his career with the club where it all started.

Alvaro Recoba is currently doing something similar. He came through the ranks with another Uruguayan club, Danubio, and first made his name there before moving to Nacional -- and then to Europe. After 13 years on the other side of the Atlantic the left-footed playmaker returned to Uruguay in 2010, first to play for Danubio, and then for Nacional, for whom these days he usually comes off the bench in the second half and attempts to tip the balance against tiring defences.

It is fun to watch Recoba come up with the odd flash of inspiration -- and even more rewarding to pick out candidates for future stardom.

Last week, when Nacional kicked off the Libertadores qualifying round away to Oriente Petrolero of Bolivia, they introduced a very interesting figure in the second half. Eighteen-year-old Gaston Pereiro is an unlikely attacking midfielder. He has the lanky build more associated with a centre back. But he made an immediate impression when he came on in the second half. At the weekend he scored a goal when the Uruguayan domestic league got underway, and on Tuesday, with the tie against Oriente Petrolero very much in the balance, he was brought on at halftime.

Once again he was highly impressive, carrying the ball with sound control, keeping his head up to survey the options around him, combining well and striking the ball cleanly with his left foot. He is at an age when he clearly does not know the meaning of fear, playing with an abundance of confidence and clearly enjoying himself. No doubt about it, Gaston Pereiro of Nacional has his name firmly marked in my notebook in the "one to look out for" category.

Of course, the road between promise and reality is a slippery one. Much could go wrong. If he maintains this level of performance then he´s unlikely to be "Gaston Pereiro of Nacional" for long. Economics dictate that he will be sold on somewhere, it may not be the right move and his career could stall. I have seen it happen in similar cases too many times to mention.

For now, though, with Nacional safely through to the group phase, it is enough just to enjoy following his progress in the 2014 Copa Libertadores.

Julio Cesar primed to be behind goal for Brazil

Julio Cesar will be the Brazilian goalkeeper in the World Cup. It´s sure! Even if Julio Cesar can´t play in the Championship side, Queens Park Rangers, Luiz Felipe Scolari trusts he is the right choice for being number one in June.

Brazilian pundits don´t.

Many voices have cried about Cesar being the goalkeeper for the national side and the third choice for Harry Redknapp in the English Second Division team. The first goalkeeper at QPR is Rob Green, famous for his epic blunder against United States in the group stage in the 2010 World Cup.

Cesar also failed four years ago. When he arrived in Johannesburg for the World Cup, he seemed to be the best goalkeeper in the world. But Cesar’s situation has changed. Today he is not the best, he is not the worst, he is not even a goalkeeper. He does not play.

Claudio Taffarel lived something similar in 1993, before being world champion in the U.S. in 1994. According to the rules for foreign players in Italy, in the 1990s, Taffarel was the odd man out in Serie A´s Parma. The coach Nevio Scala preferred the Swedish Thomas Brolin, Belgian Georges Grun and Colombian Faustino Asprilla as the three foreign players allowed.

Taffarel failed against Bolivia in the first Brazilian loss in World Cup Qualifying matches. Manager Carlos Alberto Parreira trusted him, and Taffarel signed with Reggiana for more playing time in the 1993-94 season.

Julio Cesar didn´t. He stays at QPR even though he is the third option.

And he doesn´t seem to be worried. He knows he is Scolari´s first choice.

Diego Alves deserves his Selecao shot

Features where footballers are supposed to provide tips for tourists visiting their cities can usually make interviewers cringe with answers that often seem lifted quickly from a Wikipedia page. So goalkeeper Diego Alves was a welcome exception when we talked last year about his views on Valencia for a magazine. A couple of weeks ago when we reconvened over the phone for an exclusive chat, Alves said he is still settled and happy in Spain´s third-largest city, sunny and warm enough for somebody born in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian is obviously also happy with his job at Valencia FC and is feeling much better after Saturday. A stunning save from a vicious one-on-one Lionel Messi shot in injury time, typical of those first penalty shootouts in Major League Soccer, secured a 3-2 win for Valencia against Barcelona. It was only the first time in seven years that Los Che won a game at the Camp Nou, and also the first time a visiting side took three points at Barca since Real Madrid in December 2012.

"My family loves Valencia and I really enjoying playing for my club," the goalie says. "They have given me a chance in Europe, and that was fundamental for my evolution as a player. The game against Barcelona is an example of why I trust this team. Everybody said we couldn´t do it, but we have shown that Valencia is a far better team than people gave us credit for. I don´t feel like leaving at all."

The problem is that staying or going might not be Alves´ choice. Under financial duress, Valencia are hoping to be rescued by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, who showed an interested in bailing out the two-time Champions League finalists. (Reports last week suggest Lim´s offer has been surpassed.)

Money is tight enough to have stopped the construction of their new stadium, and their $330 million debt was the main reason they didn´t resist Tottenham´s approach for striker Roberto Soldado last summer. The same might happen with Alves, who has been linked by some as a possible Manchester City target after the 2013-14 campaign.

In the meantime, he continues being one of La Liga´s most reliable goalkeepers and arguably one of the few players who can make Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi blink: Alves has saved penalties from both players. In fact, he is the biggest and best PK specialist currently playing in Spain, saving 13 of 27 shots since his arrival in 2007-08.

The bulk of these spot-kick stops came while playing for minnows Almeria, but the three he´s saved in a Valencia shirt weren´t bad either: Messi, Bayern Munich´s Mario Mandzukic and namesake Diego Costa are his victims. "I have felt quite comfortable with penalties ever since my youth academy days; it just felt quite normal to me to be in that situation," reasons the Brazilian. "To be honest, takers should sweat much more than keepers."

Alves, however, is more than a 12-yard shot stopper. He´s the only Brazilian goalkeeper playing regularly in a major European league. Bizarrely enough, national team manager Luiz Felipe Scolari doesn´t appear willing to give Alves a chance.

After beating the competition of 12 other keepers to become the Selecao starter under Mano Menezes, he vanished from the team following Big Phil´s arrival in November 2012. Alves was still called up for Scolari´s first game in charge -- the 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley in February -- but in that game he had already been cast aside for the return of veteran Julio Cesar.

"The goalkeeper position is sometimes very linked to other factors than pitch performances," Alves reckons. "I respect Scolari´s choice, although I must say it was a bit puzzling to be left out."

Under Menezes, Alves played seven games for Brazil and conceded only one goal -- to Radamel Falcao´s Colombia. Yet the 28-year-old, who could not be more opposite in temper to the expansive and cheeky Cesar, says he has no regrets about his international career. "I never let the team down on the pitch," he says. "It was a wonderful time. I felt quite comfortable at the group."

Given that Cesar has had one game in nine months for second-tier QPR and no other keeper has looked confident enough to step in, Alves´ exile looks even weirder. But the Valencia man is quick to snap out of the guessing game.

"There a lot of great goalkeepers in Brazil at the moment," he notes. "We might not have a lot of guys playing in Europe now because Brazilian football has more competitive wages now. For me, however, coming to Europe was a huge technical and personal leap. I don´t think I will be picked for the World Cup and I wish all the guys the best of luck. They deserve it."

Alves is much more hopeful with regard to Valencia´s chances at turning their fortunes around. The 2002 and 2004 Spanish champions -- they remain the last side to break Real and Barcelona´s La Liga duopoly -- are now sitting eighth in the table with 28 points, a mammoth 14 adrift from the Champions League qualification zone. They could do with a cash injection.

"Things could change for Valencia if the investor really comes on board," Alves explains. "Atletico Madrid have shown this season that it is not impossible to challenge the big two. I trust the Valencia directors to find a solution to all this. I am happy here and have been discussing a new contract. I´d like to help this club."

Amusingly, the only "forbidden" topic in our chat is his penalty-saving technique. Alves says he doesn´t spend hours looking at footage of takers, but this is as far as he goes. "If I tell you," he jokes, "I will never save another one."

Fearful players could strike after Corinthians´ trouble

Time for another true tale of Brazilian footballing life. Last Saturday, the Corinthians´ training ground was invaded by a gang of more than a hundred fans who were furious at the club´s miserable recent form. Far outnumbering the small quantity of police and security guards present, they cut a hole in an interior fence and roamed freely around the complex, seeking their principal targets: misfiring strikers Alexandre Pato and Emerson Sheik.

The players were taken to safety, but not before Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero was reportedly grabbed around the neck by one frustrated individual. A receptionist was manhandled, cellphones were stolen and, in the commotion, club medical consultant Joaquim Grava fell to the ground and suffered heart palpitations. The fans eventually left after being allowed to vent their frustrations at coach Mano Menezes.

"It was like a prison riot," Grava said. "They were armed with sticks and stones and knives."

It is not the first time that Corinthians supporters have turned their wrath on their side. In 2011 the team bus was stoned by a mob of around 300 fans after the team were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores by Colombian side Deportes Tolima. The protests eventually led to the exit of Roberto Carlos, after the World Cup winner said he felt his safety was at risk.

The current unhappy state of Corinthians is a far cry from the club´s glorious recent past, when the league title, Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup were scooped in a short two-year period.

But not much has gone right since that famous victory over Chelsea in Japan. Corinthians were knocked out of last year´s Libertadores by Boca Juniors, before a humdrum 10th place Serie A finish meant the club failed to qualify for this year´s continental competition.

That brought a tearful end to Tite´s marvellously successful reign as coach, although things have not improved under former Brazil manager Menezes, with three defeats in five Campeonato Paulista games in 2014, including a 5-1 mauling by Santos.

As is usually the case with creeping decline, a number of convergent factors explain the club´s slide. Corinthians, not a young side to begin with, have looked old and weary in recent months, and the loss of the team´s midfield heartbeat, Paulinho, to Spurs has left a yawning gap. Then there is Pato´s inability to perform even a passing imitation of a top-level striker since his giddily expensive move from Milan.

None of which, of course, excuses the intimidation displayed on Saturday and at recent games. "Joga por amor ou joga por terror," ran one chant after the Santos defeat -- informing the players that if love for the shirt didn´t encourage them to try harder, then another form of motivation would not be lacking.

The roots of the incident can be found deep within the troubled heart of Brazilian football. The pervading hot-headed, win-at-all-costs attitude in the game, born out of tribalism driven by intense local rivalries, means gloating and triumphalism run in the blood. On the positive side, this leads to stirring passions. On the negative, it spawns impatience and, potentially, violence.

While Corinthians directors have logically condemned the invasion, one wonders what contribution the goading at all levels of the game, from club presidents down to fans on message boards, and the policy of treating coaches as human chattel -- firing them after losing just a handful of games -- play in creating such a fevered atmosphere.

Corinthians president Mario Gobbi is arguably an example of how not to lead by example. After Saturday´s events (at which no arrests were made, although a police investigation is now underway) he was quick (and correct) to point out the legal impunity that feeds so much of the crime and corruption in Brazilian society.

"Impunity is a failure of the Federal Republic of Brazil," he said. Stirring words, the power of which was only slightly diluted by Mr. Gobbi´s campaign last year for the release of the 12 Gavioes da Fiel (the biggest Corinthians torcida organizada group) members held by police in Oruru, Bolivia, suspected of launching the naval flare that killed 14-year-old San Jose fan Kevin Espada in January. Once freed, two of those fans were caught on camera fighting against Vasco supporters in the World Cup stadium in Brasilia in August, and another was involved in a shoot-out with police in Bahia in September. According to police reports, a fourth was part of Saturday´s lamentable events.

Then there is the umbilical cord that links the club (and Corinthians are hardly alone in this) with its torcidas organizadas (ultras) and, by proxy, the violent acts that they commit.

The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported on Monday that the Gavioes da Fiel receive 5,000 Corinthians Fiel Torcedor loyalty cards from the club, entitling holders to reduced prices and priority when buying tickets, contradicting Gobbi´s claim on Sunday that the club "are not donors or collaborators. They (the organizadas) are independent bodies."

The words of Gavioes president Wagner da Costa in the same article show that the group certainly feel themselves to hold a privileged position. "We reject violence and acts of vandalism. But it was time to protest," he said. "(The players´) job is to play. Ours is to make sure they do what they´re supposed to do."

The episode is likely to have far-reaching consequences. On Tuesday, the Corinthians players released an open letter, stating: "We know that this is not the first, but it must be the last time that thugs connected to the torcidas organizadas invade private property, assault players and club staff and threaten them with weapons. We know that these same hooligans ... are responsible for more than 90 percent of the violence in football stadiums in recent years, cause deaths and drive supporters and their families away from football."

The letter went on to say that the players admitted their recent failings on the pitch, but that their biggest mistake was taking part in Sunday´s game against Ponte Preta when they should have refused to play in order to send a message to "the whole country, the authorities, the clubs and football´s organising bodies of the tragedy that is waiting to happen if action is not taken."

The players only took the field, according to the letter, because of the club´s contractual obligations to its sponsors, the Sao Paulo FA, the Globo TV network, and out of respect to the "true Corinthians fans."

Importantly, the letter also declares the players´ "public support" for the "imminent strike proposed by the Sao Paulo Professional Athletes Union, demanding improvements in the working conditions of the employees of the football clubs of Brazil."

While nothing has been confirmed, reports at the time of writing suggest that the union has already informed the Sao Paulo FA about the possibility of strike action this coming weekend. "The players are scared to leave their houses," said union president Rinaldo Martorelli, when it was revealed that some of the team had received threatening phone calls after their numbers were obtained from the cellphones stolen during the invasion. "We´re ready to call a strike. The time has arrived. Things can´t go on like this."

The union and the Corinthians athletes are supported by Bom Senso FC, the players´ protest group that has repeatedly cited the possibility of strike action in recent months. If a stoppage does occur, it would represent another major headache for the CBF (the Brazilian FA) and its Montgomery Burns-esque president Jose Maria Marin, whose organisation was this week questioned by FIFA about the courtroom chaos over just who should be relegated from last year´s Serie A.

It would also be another clear sign of the feelings of revolt that continue to bubble under the surface of Brazilian society. Long the country of "it´s broken, but we can´t ever seem to get around to fixing it," Brazil has, since last year´s huge street demonstrations, become a nation of "we´re not going to take it anymore." Protests and mass gatherings of all shapes and sizes, from rolezinhos (roughly and badly translated as flash mobs, where thousands of young people from working-class neighbourhoods spontaneously gather in swanky shopping malls) to anti-World Cup demonstrations, continue. The country´s professional footballers, it seems, want to be part of the process of change, even if their bosses do not.

Diego Perotti: "Llego al club más grande de la Argentina"

BUENOS AIRES -- El mediocampista Diego Perotti, flamante incorporación de Boca Juniors, destacó el jueves que llega "al club más grande de la Argentina", luego de haberse sometido a la revisión médica de rigor tras haber acordado sumarse a préstamo desde el Sevilla, de la primera división de España.

"Llego al club más grande de la Argentina y el objetivo lógicamente es salir campeón", indicó el futbolista de 25 años en su primer contacto con los medios de prensa, luego de haber sido revisado por los médicos xeneizes, horas después de haber llegado al país procedente de España.

"Boca es un club muy grande y eso me motivó a venir. Mi familia está muy feliz desde que se enteró que se hizo el pase, y ahora quiero conocer a mis compañeros y ponerme a disposición para aportar mi granito de arena", añadió el jugador.

Perotti ya estuvo en Boca Juniors, en donde jugó dos años en las divisiones juveniles, de donde pasó a Deportivo Morón.

"Sé que Boca tiene jugadores de mucho nombre y espero adaptarme a lo que me pida (Carlos) Bianchi. Durante los seis años que estuve en el Sevilla jugué tirado a la izquierda, pero no tengo problemas si me toca hacerlo del otro lado", concluyó Perotti.

Perotti, de 25 años, se sumará a Boca hasta el 30 de junio próximo y con una opción de compra valuada en 2,5 millones de euros por el cincuenta por ciento de su pase.

También existe la posibilidad de que siga a préstamo hasta el 31 de diciembre pero en ese caso deberían ponerse de acuerdo los clubes.

El futbolista tiene contrato con el Sevilla hasta junio de 2015, con una cláusula de rescisión valuada en 48 millones de euros, y llegará a Boca debido a la lesión que sufrió Joel Acosta (se rompió los ligamentos) como el tercer refuerzo, después del lateral derecho Hernán Grana y el zaguero Juan Forlín.

El nuevo jugador xeneize es hijo del delantero Hugo Osmar Perotti, un destacado futbolista de Boca entre 1977 y 1984, decisivo en la conquista de dos títulos, la Copa Libertadores de América de 1978 (la segunda de las seis que posee el club) y el torneo Metropolitano de 1981.

Diego Perotti comenzó su carrera en las divisiones inferiores xeneizes, luego se marchó al Deportivo Morón y de ahí pasó a España para sumarse al Sevilla, donde jugó 188 partidos, anotó 14 goles y se consagró campeón de la Copa del Rey en 2010.

Su llegada a Boca, club del cual es hincha fanático, cubrirá la posición de mediocampista derecho con mucho recorrido por ese sector (la misma función que cumple Juan Sánchez Miño por la izquierda) y seguramente el DT Carlos Bianchi devolverá al Burrito Juan Manuel Martínez a su función natural de delantero.

Martínez, uno de los delanteros más habilididosos y desequilibrantes del fútbol argentino, cumplía la función que le pedía Bianchi en contra de su lucimiento personal y ahora que llega Perotti seguramente volverá a desempeñarse en la posición que más lo favorece, en el sector de la cancha donde realmente desequilibra.

her små 10 min inde i anden halvleg har Ramon Fernandez udlignet for La U ...1-1 i Asuncion....

et par udskiftninger ....For La u er Isaac Diaz kommet ind for Rodrigo Mora...for hjemmeholdet er Ecuadorianeren Caicedo gået ud ind er kommet Jorge Benitez....som netop har bragt los caciques foran med 2-1....

Skal se Lanus kampen om 1 times tid. Kan godt lide at se Copa Libertadores når jeg har oddset.

Håber bare jeg kan finde et ordenligt stream.