After three straight defeats, Cuiabá won again for the Copa Sudamericana. This Wednesday (18), Dourado defeated River Plate (Uruguay) 2-1 at the Centenario stadium, in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, for the fifth round of Group B of the competition. It was the team’s first triumph outside the country in an official game.
??? Following the table, the @CuiabaEC went to the Centenary and won the @cariverplateuru 2-1 for CONMEBOL Group B #South American.
? The Brazilian team reached 6️⃣ points, but has no more chance of qualifying for the round of 16. pic.twitter.com/Uc3FSGokLb
— CONMEBOL Sudamericana (@SudamericanaBR) May 19, 2022
With no chance of reaching the round of 16, the Brazilian club was six points behind Melgar (Peru) and Racing (Argentina). Both, however, are still on the field in the round, which means that at least one of them will increase the difference and cannot be reached by the Midwest team. Only the leader of each group advances to the South American stage. The Uruguayans, with three, are in the bottom.
Concerned about the Brazilian Championship, Cuiabá spared the holders and even the interim coach Luiz Fernando Iubel from the trip to Uruguay. The under-20 coach, Willian Araújo, commanded the team at Centenário. Even so, Dourado controlled the actions of the first half and went to the interval in advantage. In the 43rd minute, forward André Luís lined up on the left and played over goalkeeper Salvador Ichazo to open the scoring.
The scenario was reversed in the second half, with River taking the offensive initiative and Cuiabá protecting themselves to come out on the counterattacks. It worked out. In the 44th minute, midfielder Rafael Gava escaped from the mark on the right and crossed low for André Luís to complete for the nets. In stoppage time, full-back Walter Clar scored for the hosts, but it was too late.
Cuiabá says goodbye to the Sudamericana on Thursday (26), at 19:15 (Brasília time), at the Monumental de la Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (Unsa), in Arequipa (Peru), against Melgar . On Saturday (21), at 9 pm, Dourado will play for the Brasileiro, against Internacional, at Arena Pantanal, in the capital of Mato Grosso.
