Forty-two additional minutes, a court semi-drenched by rain, controversial plays and two expulsions marked the match in which Atlético Palmaflor, led by former Bolivian president Evo Morales, beat Blooming 3-2 on matchday 6 of the Bolivian Professional Division tournament, reports EFE. The refereeing team was suspended indefinitely.
The match was to be played on Sundaybut it was deferred to Monday due to a blockade on the highway between Santa Cruz and Cochabamba that prevented the arrival in the town of Villa Tunari of the VAR teams and for the television broadcast.
The match was played at the Villa Tunari Bicentennial Stadium, a coca-growing area located in the Cochabamba Tropics, in the midst of heavy rain. The first goal for Palmaflor was a penalty converted by Argentine Jonathan Cañete in the 19th minute.
In the second half the rain was getting stronger and the puddles of water on the court were evident. In the 82nd minute, referee Julio Gutiérrez awarded another penalty in favor of the Chapareño squad that was converted by striker Gilbert Álvarez.
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The Cruceña Academy closed the gap in the 86th minute with a shot from the Uruguayan Gastón Rodríguez that was initially canceled due to a supposed forward position.
The annotation validation took about 13 minutes, so Gutiérrez decided to add 10 minutes to the matchbut the extra time that ended up being played far exceeded what was ordered by the referee.
Another controversial moment was recorded at minute 90+20when the bloominista César Menacho first saw the yellow card for a foul against the goalkeeper Carlos Adorno and, after another VAR review, he ended up expelled.
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The Colombian José Luis Sinisterra equalized the score at minute 90+24 and four minutes later Blooming lost another player, as Miguel Becerra was also sent off.
Cañete made it 3-2 for the locals at minute 90+38 and four minutes later the match ended, before which the squad from Santa Cruz joked on their social networks with an “End of the 3rd half!”.
Blooming called the arbitration “embarrassing” for exposing the players to “possible injuries”, giving an “excessive addition” and damaging the result “completely”.
“We will initiate the respective legal representation so that this class of referees does not lead in Bolivian soccer again,” the club added.
Under the command of Argentine Carlos Bustos, the ‘pascaneros’ left Palmaflor out of the Sudamericana last Thursday with a resounding 6-0 win.
In the local tournament, Blooming occupies the penultimate position among the 17 teams in the Bolivian league, while Palmaflor, led by Argentine Claudio Brizuela, is third.
