Snak

Troglio, tras el empate con Colón: "Sirve para seguir sumando"

SANTA FE -- El DT de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Pedro Troglio, valoró el sábado el empate sin goles ante el líder Colón de Santa Fe porque le permitió a su equipo "seguir sumando" en su objetivo de garantizar la permanencia.

"Fue un partido muy malo, en el que, salvo un cabezazo de (Lucas) Landa sobre el final, prácticamente no nos llegaron. Nos sirve para seguir sumando", rescató el entrenador.

"Vinimos a jugar a la cancha del puntero, contra un equipo que atraviesa una buena racha y no sufrimos en ningún momento", agregó.

Luego, el exmediocampista del seleccionado argentino se refirió al clásico con Estudiantes en la próxima fecha: "Nos prepararemos para darle una alegría a la gente".

Con la igualdad en Santa Fe, Gimnasia sumó nueve unidades, producto de dos triunfos, tres empates y dos derrotas.

Osella: "Vi un equipo cansado, pero que nunca dejó de correr"

SANTA FE --- El entrenador de Colón de Santa Fe, Diego Osella, admitió que en el encuentro ante Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata vio a su equipo "cansado", aunque destacó el hecho de que sus jugadores "nunca" se rindieron y pusieron lo mejor de sí hasta el final del partido.

"Personalmente vi un equipo cansado, pero que nunca se rindió ni dejó de correr. Sin embargo, perdimos sorpresa y desequilibrio en función de lo que habían sido actuaciones anteriores", evaluó Osella tras el 0-0 en el Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, por la séptima fecha del Torneo Final.

De todos modos, el director técnico de Colón, argumentó: "La decisión de repetir nombres es mía y puede ser equivocada, pero la realidad indica que somos un plantel muy corto y tampoco dispongo de muchas variantes como para modificar el once".

Cuando se le preguntó si valoraba el punto conseguido este sábado ante Gimnasia, Osella, conductor del sorprendente líder de la competencia, precisó: "En la situación en la que está Colón (en la tabla de los promedios), cada punto que podamos sumar es importante y por eso el empate, más allá de ser de local, termina sirviendo y mucho".

New Pele, next Pele? Brazil´s struggles in emulating the legend

Posted by Tim Vickery

Eight years ago, in the buildup to Germany 2006, the Brazilian media speculated that this would be the tournament where Ronaldinho proved that he was even better than Pele. Yet history has shown that it´s a tag more closely linked with failure than glory.

In Ronaldinho´s case, it seemed a logical enough point of view at the time. He had been the junior partner in the 2002 World Cup, a wonderfully promising part of the supporting cast to Ronaldo and Rivaldo. Four years on, he had established himself as the outstanding player in the global game, delighting fans everywhere with the childlike joy of his performances for Barcelona.

By the World Cup in Germany, Rivaldo was no longer in the picture, but Ronaldo was still around, Kaka had emerged as a superstar, Adriano was an imposing centre forward and such talents as the youthful Robinho and Juninho Pernumbucano were in reserve. Surrounded by such an embarrassment of riches, what could possibly go wrong for Ronaldinho?

Answer: everything. At the end of the opening game, a laboured 1-0 win over Croatia, Pele dashed over to the Brazilian journalists to give his view that Ronaldinho had been the worst player in the team.

The tournament didn´t get any better from there. Both Ronaldinho and the team were immense disappointments and were deservedly bundled out at the quarterfinal stage by France, for whom Zinedine Zidane gave a midfield master class.

It was a pivotal moment in Ronaldinho´s career. He has never recaptured the form that captivated the world in that 2004-06 period.

Incredibly, despite having a remarkably injury-free career, he has never played another World Cup match. Coach Dunga lost patience with him after Ronaldinho cut a pitiful figure waddling around the field in the 2008 Olympics while current coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, like immediate predecessor Mano Menezes, had a brief look and came to the conclusion that the player is no longer fit enough to tip the balance at the highest level.

Looking back on the course of Ronaldinho´s frustrating journey, comparisons with Pele now look laughable -- or sad, depending on one´s point of view.

Zico got closer; for Brazil, for Flamengo, briefly for Udinese and at the end of his career in Japan, he produced consistent excellence over a sustained period of time. But the World Cup was cruel to the man dubbed, in less politically correct times, as "the white Pele."

The omens were there in his debut at the international level, against Sweden in Argentina ´78. Brazil were playing on a terrible pitch at Mar del Plata, a surface hardly conducive to the gliding, passing football that was Zico´s specialty. In the dying seconds of a disappointing 1-1 draw, he rose at a corner and headed home what seemed to be the winning goal but an over-officious referee blew for time while the ball was in flight, and the goal did not stand.

Scoring the winner would have eased the pressure on him. Having the goal chalked off was a big blow to morale, and Zico spent much of the tournament reduced to the role of second-half substitute.

The 1982 World Cup was the one that got away. In Spain, Brazil produced some of the most breathtaking football the World Cup has seen, circulating the ball with the joy of a team celebrating a collective childhood. Zico was at the hub. There was a run of eight consecutive goals, some of them quite magnificent, in which he either scored or played a key part in the buildup.

But Brazil were shot down by a talented, disciplined Italy side for whom striker Paolo Rossi enjoyed an inspired afternoon. Italy won 3-2 in one of the all-time great World Cup games. Subsequently Brazil have always been more pragmatic, and never quite as thrilling, even in victory.

Zico was to have one more crack at the World Cup, though he was something of a reluctant participant. He suffered a serious knee injury in the buildup to Mexico ´86, and asked not to be considered for selection. But he was seen as too important to the team, and worked round the clock to get back to fitness.

In the event, he was able to come off the bench in the second half -- when he did so in a glorious quarter final against the French he made an immediate impact, splitting the opposing defence with a typically imaginative pass for attacking left back Branco, who was brought down in the area.

Up stepped Zico for the penalty which would surely seal Brazil´s place in the semifinals but, still cold, his shot was weak and easily saved. The match finished 1-1, and though Zico scored in the shoot-out, his side were beaten and his last chance at World Cup glory had gone.

The latest "next Pele," of course, is Neymar, who, like the great man, came through the youth ranks at Santos and looks a little bit like the adolescent Pele from the Sweden World Cup of 1958.

Neymar is now 22 years old, by which time Pele had filled out to have the physique of a middleweight boxer. For all his dazzling skill, Neymar will never carry quite the same physical threat as Pele, but he does have the chance of achieving footballing immortality by carrying Brazil to victory on home soil.

But this shot at glory comes with plenty of risks as the story of Zizinho, a kind of prototype Pele, makes very clear.

Zizinho was the outstanding player in Brazil´s side of 1950, the previous time the country hosted the World Cup. The idol of the young Pele, he was a player of quite magnificent ability. European journalists who covered that World Cup had never seen anything like it.

"This is a genius," wrote Willy Meisl, one of the movers and shakers of the game at the time, "a man who possesses all the qualities that could be imagined for a professional to get close to perfection."

The correspondent from Italy´s Gazzetta dello Sport waxed even more lyrical. Zizinho, he wrote, was "the maestro. His football is reminiscent of Da Vinci painting something rare."

But everything was overshadowed by the final game, when Uruguay hit back to beat the hosts 2-1. "I played for 19 years," wrote Zizinho on the first page of his autobiography. "I won some titles, and along with the other players of that campaign, I´m remembered as a loser."

How will Neymar be remembered? Up there alongside Pele, or as another pretender unable to climb to the top of the mountain?

Of course, his career is only just starting and he should have another 15 years to forge his place in posterity. But from the point of view of his own countrymen, what happens this June and July will go a long way towards defining his place in the pantheon.

Looking beyond Neymar

2013 was not a good year for Brazil´s youth sides. The Under-20s got nowhere near qualifying for the World Cup at their level in Turkey, while the Under-17s fell at to Mexico at the quarterfinal stage in the Arab Emirates. There has been a change of command at the top of Brazil´s youth structure, and much better will be expected in 2015.

No potential "new Peles" have been prematurely crowned, then, but the conveyor belt of talent never stops in Brazilian football and some promising new names are emerging.

The big revelation of 2014 has been 20-year-old support striker Luan of Gremio. The Porto Alegre club from the most European part of Brazil have historically been known for putting an emphasis on physical strength. But a new philosophy in their youth development is giving priority to talent, and Luan, bright and versatile, has been making an excellent impression thrown into the deep end in the club´s Copa Libertadores campaign.

The likes of Diego, Robinho and, of course, Neymar have rolled off the Santos production line in recent times as Pele´s old club have recaptured some of their former glories by specialising in youth development. Another highly promising generation is pushing through, with the most eye-catching being 17 year old Gabriel "Gabigol" Batista, a left-footed support striker who, a bit like the young Neymar, catches the eye for his capacity to both dribble at pace and finish with precision.

The day football died

Posted by Gabriele Marcotti

That is, obviously, an exaggeration. But when Brazil lost to Italy 3-2 in the second round group stage of the 1982 World Cup, it was at the very least a certain brand of football that was going on life support, if not dying, and one that would be shut off permanently four years later, in Mexico, when Michel Platini’s France defeat the Selecao in the quarterfinals on penalties.

We’re talking about the world’s stereotype of Brazilian football.

It is the one that’s all about samba, flair, “jogo bonito”, free-flowing joy and enthusiasm: the fleet-footed shimmies and feints of the classic dribble which some believe (maybe apocryphally, but it’s still a great tale) were born out of “Capoeira” the Brazilian martial art -- part ballet, part Cirque du Soleil contortionism and acrobatics, part lethal kicks to the head -- that was originally developed by Afro-Brazilian slaves so they could pretend to dance while actually training to one day fight back against their masters. You know the clichés.

And you know the dark flip-side traits of the Brazilian game: over-elaboration, lack of structure, defensive lapses and placing entertainment above victory.

Tele Santana’s 1982 team was the last great Brazil team which played the way folks who don’t know the game think Brazil plays and has always played. (The 1986 side, also coached by Santana contained many of the same faces, but the change was already evident and, in any case, it wasn’t anywhere near as dominant.)

For people of my generation -- too young for The Netherlands’ “Clockwork Orange” of the 1970s -- Brazil 1982 was the greatest team we’ve ever seen, at least until the Spain of recent times came along.

For a start, it didn’t look like an obvious team as much as it was eleven guys thrown together, left to their own devices to figure out who played where. Like a pick-up basketball team, where genuine ballers step on the court and you don’t worry too much about who’s got who and whether you’re playing zone or man-to-man, or who plays the point. It just kinda flows.

And, like pick-up hoops, you might get stuck with some genuine stiffs, guys who are totally out of place because they are so much worse than the rest of the team. Brazil had two: the goalkeeper, Valdir Peres, and the centre-forward, Serginho.

[A quick aside. Much as it pains me to admit it as an Italian and an Azzurri fan, if either Careca -- who was injured -- or Reinaldo -- who was excluded, allegedly for his political views and allegiance to the Black Panthers -- had been up front for Brazil on that July day 32 years ago, history might have taken a different turn.]

Brazil in 1982 had a back four, albeit one where the right-back, Leandro, played like a winger, and the left-back, Junior, popped up all over the pitch. In front of them were two playmakers, Toninho Cerezo and Paulo Roberto Falcao, and, ahead of them, two geniuses with the freest of roles: Zico and Socrates.

Serginho was the somewhat static centre-forward, with Eder -- ordinarily a winger -- buzzing around him. Some called it 4-2-2-2. Most called it intoxicating. And after that game in Barcelona, we never saw anything like it ever again, hence Zico’s obituary.

What is true is that the romantic utopian side of the Brazilian game got a bloody nose that day. Against Italy’s ordered, counter-attacking style, the Selecao ended up being less -- far less -- than the sum of its parts and the blame fell on Santana’s supposed tactical naiveté.

Defenders wandering off following their instincts, midfielders always looking for that extra pass, the whole team pushing forward furiously with the score deadlocked at 2-2, even though Brazil knew (or should have known) that, given the tournament’s format, a draw would have been enough to advance to the semifinal.

Brazil changed and never looked back. Santana, duly chastised, returned for the 1986 World Cup after a two-year stint working in Saudi Arabia but, as noted above, things were different. What followed was a distinctive pendulum shift in the opposite direction.

In 1990, Sebastiao Lazaroni introduced a sweeper -- Mauro Galvao – as part of a 3-5-2 formation, to the horror of the purists. Four years later, Carlos Alberto Parreira tightened the screws even more, putting a full-back (Mazinho) on the wing, together with two (count ‘em!) defensive midfielders: Mauro Silva and Dunga.

Brazil won the 1994 World Cup in the United States and, to some degree, the experiment was repeated in 1998 -- when the legendary Mario Zagallo returned to take the helm for a third time -- at least in terms of having two destroyers in midfield (Dunga was joined this time by Cesar Sampaio.)

Luiz Felipe Scolari was in charge in 2002 and, while he fielded an attacking front three of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, he made up for it with three centre-backs -- Lucio, Edmilson and Roque Junior -- and the purely defensive Gilberto Silva in midfield.

Brazil were more attacking in 2006 and, at least on paper, it was meant to be a return to the “Jogo Bonito.” Parreira was back and did a 180 degree turn compared to 1994, cramming Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka and sometimes Adriano into the starting lineup.

He was able to do this, again, by playing two holding midfielders but, in any case, we rarely saw the free-flowing game on which Brazil’s legend was based. It looked and felt uncomfortable, which brings us to 2010 and Dunga.

Again, two holding midfielders (one of whom was Felipe Melo...) were present and sometimes were joined by a third or by Dani Alves, a wing-back, in the middle of the park.

Don’t take all this as a criticism. Throughout those two decades and six World Cups, Brazil remained one of the very best sides in the world (the fact that they reached three finals, winning two of them, is evidence of this). Furthermore, they were usually among the most entertaining of teams, simply because they often had better players than the opposition. However, it wasn’t Tele Santana’s Brazil. In that sense, Zico was right.

And yet a look at what happened before 1982 suggests that, if the Italy game was the end of an era, it had been a relatively brief one. Because, contrary to the stereotypes, much of Brazil’s history was marked by vigorous internal debate about how the Selecao should line up tactically and how to best exploit the country’s enormous footballing potential.

And, unlike the line some may peddle -- romantic disorganization coupled with individual genius and improvisation resulting in joy and dominance on the pitch -- Brazil’s success has long been the product of careful preparation.

As Jonathan Wilson writes in “Inverting the Pyramid” -- the seminal book for those interested in the tactical evolution of the game -- way back in 1958, when most European teams were in a virtual stone age of hill runs, medicine balls and red-faced, shouty assistant coaches, Brazil meticulously prepared for the World Cup by scouting 25 locations and having a team psychologist evaluating every player.

[Not that it was the most inspired psychologist: He famously recommended that Garrincha was unsuited to playing in high pressure games. Fortunately, coach Vicente Feola ignored him and he and a kid named Pele powered Brazil to World Cup victory.]

In 1970, they went one step further and had the team undergo a NASA training programme. The players were fitted with individual, tailor-made boots and, for two weeks, diet and sleep were strictly controlled. Even Brazil’s famous gold shirts were designed for optimum performance in the Mexican heat.

Equally, when it comes to tactics, if the European stereotype was often that of eleven uber-gifted guys thrown together on the pitch, it may have been simply because South American tactics had their own evolution.

As in Europe, it began with the old 2-3-5 and then moved to the WM. But, from there, it evolved to the 4-2-4 and the asymmetric “diagonal” which in so many ways was ahead of its time.

We don’t think about this sort of thing when we contemplate the Selecao. Years of marketing, highlights and the memory of Santana’s 1982 team mean we’ll forever consider them extemporaneous geniuses and entertainers, effortlessly improvising greatness on the pitch when, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The greatness isn’t improvised and it certainly isn’t effortless.

The ghosts of 1982 don’t haunt their ancestors the way those of 1950 did. They do it in a different way; they represent the ideal not pursued. They are the choice you made when you decided to give up the song-writing for a career in middle-management; when you packed up your art supplies and applied to law school instead.

They are the path abandoned, even as the rest of the world continues to believe you’re confidently going down it. And some believe you should return to it.

CONCACAF Champions League Preview: Cruz Azul next for Sporting

Sporting Kansas City´s busy run of fixtures continues with a difficult clash against Mexico´s Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The first leg of the quarter-final tie at Sporting Park will be Kansas City´s second of five games in 15 days.

And a meeting with the CONCACAF Champions League´s equal most successful club – five-time champions Cruz Azul – is a huge task.

A 94th-minute winner from Chad Barrett saw the Seattle Sounders claim a dramatic win over Sporting in their MLS season opener on Saturday.

Sporting´s Argentine striker Claudio Bieler was left on the bench for the clash, perhaps with an eye to the Cruz Azul encounter.

Peter Vermes´ side take on high-flying Liga MX leaders, who have made a blistering start to their Mexican league campaign.

Cruz Azul have scored 18 league goals in 10 matches, while their defence has kept most teams at bay.

That was until a shock 3-0 loss to Tigres UANL on Sunday and Cruz Azul´s first league loss of the season should give Sporting hope.

The visitors are likely to be without midfielder Achille Emana, who is their leading goalscorer in the Champions League with four.

The Cameroonian looked close to returning before hurting his hamstring once more earlier in March.

Cruz Azul or Sporting will face the winner of the tie between Los Angeles Galaxy and Tijuana, who meet in California for their first leg on Wednesday.

Tijuana have been solid in Liga MX and their strike duo of Francisco Martinez and Dario Benedetto are sure to threaten the Galaxy.

The final MLS side remaining in the competition are the San Jose Earthquakes, who host Toluca in the first leg of their quarter-final.

In Raul Nava (six goals), Toluca have the competition´s leading goalscorer to this stage.

Costa Rican outfit Alajuelense and Panama´s Arabe Unido will also do battle for a place in the last four.

Resourceful Arabe Unido ready for CCL task

COLON, Panama – With a workmanlike mentality, passage to the next phase of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) is possible in the mind of Arabe Unido’s Abdiel Arroyo.

On Monday, the Expreso Azul will face host Alajuelense in the first leg of their CCL quarterfinal series. Clearly. the tournament has made a significant impression on the forward.

“For me, the Champions League represents a showcase to try to do things well and to go all-out in this competition,” Arroyo told CONCACAF.com.

The 20-year-old admittedly has grand CCL aspirations. He wants to lift the trophy after the final.

“It’s the dream that each player has to try to become champion of the region and in the quarterfinal match we are going to go all-out to get the win,” Arroyo expressed.

Following completion of both the CCL’s group stage and the Panamanian Clausura season last year, Arabe saw some key performers leave the club. One of those was forward Jose Gonzalez, who scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo that clinched the team’s knockout-phase place.

As a result, head coach Jair Palacios was put into the position of having to rely on the club’s youth players in the current Clausura. That level of resourcefulness, though, has led to Arabe being in a three-way tie for first place with Alianza and Plaza Amador after nine rounds.

Arroyo, who is part of the youth movement, scored two goals in four CCL group stage matches. Despite his age, he possesses a keen understanding of what is required to grasp success.

“First, you have to keep working hard, because we know that it is a difficult competition,” declared Arroyo. ”The coach works hard each day to try to get the team to the final and win it.”

The rising star finished with a thought that has defined many great champions, when he added another element to the mix: “Humility…to continue working hard to the utmost and the fortitude we have to achieve the objective of a win.”

It is certain that Arroyo is prepared to fulfill his and Arabe Unido’s CCL goals.

Pemberton wants Alajuelense to make history

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica – On Monday, Alajuelense will resume its quest for the CONCACAF Champions League title, when Panama’s Arabe Unido visits the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Scotiabank for the first leg of their quarterfinal series.

The Manudos have won a pair of the CONCACAF club championships (1986, 2004), but are looking for more international silverware.

Goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton, one of the Costa Rican power’s veteran players, told CONCACAF.com that he and his teammates are aiming to bring a third confederation crown to the club and play in the FIFA Club World Cup.

“We want to win it again to be able to go to the Club World Cup, that is something important for all the members of the team,” said Pemberton. “It would be historic for a footballer, you would remain in the history of the club. And for the fans it would be the ultimate that your club is competing in a Club World Cup…that it is among the best in the world, so in every sense it would be a proud thing for all the Alajuelense fans.”

Pemberton asserts that unity within the squad may be the determining element in becoming the champion.

“The important factor for us is the group that we have,” the 31-year-old expressed. “I feel that if we have unity, both on and off the field, that’s what is going to help us achieve our goal.”

The netminder has confidence in the Alajuelense back line, which conceded only one goal in the CCL’s group stage, but also believes that capitalizing on scoring opportunities against Arabe will be essential.

“I feel that the strength is the defense,” analyzed Pemberton, who was the starting goalkeeper in Costa Rica’s run to the 2013 UNCAF Copa Centroamericana championship. “I think that we are very solid, so that provides calm to the teammates in the midfield and offense that they can do things well. That is an important factor for us.

“Scoring chances in the matches will be few so we have to be strong at the moment in front of goal, but I think they are going to have the confidence and the composure to earn the goals that are available to us.”

The trip to the CCL quarterfinals will be Alajuelense’s first since the tournament switched to a new format and name more than five years ago, while Arabe advanced to the same stage in the 2009-10 edition.

løverne uddelte TÆSK. 5-1.

Independiente: Parra explicó su reacción y criticó a los que insultan

BUENOS AIRES -- El delantero Facundo Parra argumentó que reaccionó porque golpearon a un amigo suyo y despotricó contra los hinchas de Independiente con los que llegó a pelearse porque en la noche del sábado se agruparon en el hall del Estadio Libertadores de América para insultar a los jugadores tras el revés ante Huracán por 1-0, en un resultado que agrava una tendencia negativa y compromete la posición de ascenso.

"Ni siquiera los voy a llamar hinchas de Independiente porque no lo son. Los que se quedan después del partido para insultar no son hinchas, buscan un negocio, buscan su bienestar. Ya los conocemos, son siempre los mismos los que están ahí", aseveró el centrodelantero, quien debido a una lesión muscular no participo del encuentro ante los de Parque Patricios.

La manifestación de los hinchas más exaltados se produjo en la noche del sábado tras la caída ante los del Globito, la tercera consecutiva en lo que va del campeonato de la Primera B Nacional, la que agudiza una crísis futbolística que pone en peligro el tercer puesto que todavía conserva el Rojo, justamente la última colocación que cuando concluya la temporada servirá para ascender a la máxima categoría del fútbol de la AFA.

Y Parra siguió destilando su fastidio por lo ocurrido: "Destruyen su propio club. Hay una política muy importante y nosotros con los dirigentes no tenemos nada que ver, somos empleados del club. La terminamos pagando todos y las cosas se terminan dando de esta manera".

Por otra parte, el exjugador de Chacarita Juniors y el Atalanta aseguró que continuará llevando a su familia al estadio y enfatizó que el fútbol es un trabajo: "Mi familia va a ir a la cancha siempre y los voy a llevar, y el día que pase algo me voy a meter. Es un trabajo para nosotros, en lo personal siempre intento dar lo mejor. Acepto cada insulto, o cada crítica de cada persona, lo que nunca voy a aceptar es que termine un partido y me tenga que quedar dos horas dentro de un vestuario como si hubiese matado a alguien o sea alguien a quien quieren linchar. Son 20, son siempre los mismos".

"Me tocó vivir esa situación. No soy una persona que vaya para atrás en ciertos momentos, tengo un carácter un poco fuerte y es mi forma de ser. Vivimos un momento complicado y lo acepto, es mi tercer año en el club, al hincha de Independiente se lo respeta muchísimo, a los que critican de buena manera. Los que no, dejaron de ser hinchas. El club es de la gente, no de ellos. Es de la gente que va al club, que viene a alentar, que se enoja cuando el equipo pierde, pero bien", argumentó Parra, en declaraciones para TN.

Para finalizar, denunció que un allegado a su familia fue agredido por hinchas caracterizados: "Me avisaron que le había pegado a un amigo mío que fue a la cancha. A un pibe que tiene dieciocho años y le pegaron entre cuatro o cinco, ni siquiera tienen la valentía de que sea de a uno. Son los mismos que vienen y cuelgan dos perros muertos. No entiendo que les pasa por la cabeza cuando cuelgan perros de un árbol. Esa gente se merece lo peor".

Bauza: "Da bronca que te empaten así"

MENDOZA -- El entrenador de San Lorenzo de Almagro, Edgardo Bauza, admitió que el empate ante Godoy Cruz fue "justo", aunque aclaró su fastidio porque el 1-1 haya llegado en tiempo adicionado y en una acción polémica.

"Aunque el resultado es justo, da bronca que nos empaten así. En el último minuto y mas allá de lo que diga el árbitro, fue mano (de Facundo Castillón, el autor del tanto)", sostuvo Bauza en su contacto con los periodistas.

Posteriormente el director técnico, precisó: "Jugamos definitivamente sin fallas en defensa, pero muy mal con la pelota. Nos costó hilvanar jugadas aunque en el segundo tiempo mejoramos, nos soltamos mas, tuvimos mas confianza y llegamos algo".

Si bien el empate le impidió a San Lorenzo convertirse en el único líder del Torneo Final, Bauza, elogió el desempeño de los marcadores centrales azulgranas, Fabricio Fontanini y Walter Kannemann.

"No era nuestra intención esperarlos tan atrás, pero Godoy Cruz nos fue llevando. Me voy contento porque trabajé muy poco con estos centrales y respondieron muy bien", comentó el conductor.