The two sides met over two legs and played the first one to a scoreless draw in São Paulo on 26 January. One week later, they reconvened at Tolima's Estadio Manuel Murillo Toro to decide the contest. There, playing before a crowd of 15,000 the hosts took control of the match early and were denied a quick lead only by the brilliant play of Corinthians goalkeeper Júlio César and the referee's decision not to award what looked like a certain penalty for an 18th-minute foul by Corinthians in the box.
Corinthians did better in the second half, getting a great chance in the 50th minute with a powerful blast from striker Ronaldo (pictured), but Tolima keeper Anthony Silva managed to parry it. They then fell victim to a controversial goal on a Tolima counterattack in the 66th minute when forward Danny Santoya beat César after getting the ball in a marginally offside position.
Tolima's second goal left no room for doubt, however, as unmarked striker Wilder Medina connected on a cross and headed the ball home. The 2-0 loss continued Corinthians' frustration in the tournament, which they have never won. Tolima advanced to the group stage, but were eliminated there.
No comments:
Post a Comment