Many apologies for not getting a true match report up for the Colo Colo win but other responsibilities impeded my ability to block out the three hours or so necessary to do the match justice.
I did, however, find the time to watch the complete match between Sport and la Liga, and it was a wonderful and emotional contest. I hope my report gives a sense of how it went for those who weren't able to watch.
Valeu Sport!
1' Liga take the kickoff and right away they blast the ball forward - they have good size so they may be looking to bully Sport in the air. Sure enough Reasco makes a very rough play trying to head Sport's clearance back in and is called for a foul on Dutra. Could have been an early card - he definitely had the elbow up.
4' The foreign-language Fox broadcasts have a weird (to me, at least) convention of showing the group table as if the current game had already concluded at the current score. Took me a minute to figure this out as Sport definitely does NOT have 4 points after only one match.
5' Ciro obstructed and dumped in the box, but not enough for a penalty. Good no-call. Moacir looks good early, quick feet and decisive with the ball.
6' Ciro carted off after a painful-looking noggin-knocker on a header just outside the Liga box. Both defenses having trouble in the air, giving up lots of free kicks in dangerous positions.
9' Wilson is not good.
12' Paulo Baier's steal near the center circle sets up the first really good buildup of the day for Sport. After a couple of ball reversals Ciro finds daylight in the right half of the box and his flick-on of a high ball causes some confusion but it's covered by Cevallos before Wilson can get to it. Cevallos is yelling at one of the defenders for crowding him.
14' Liga inexplicably botches a throw-in and suddenly they are on the back foot. Moacir does his best to set Dutra up on the overlap down the right-hand channel, but Dutra makes a mess of it and Moacir has to swoop in to win the ball back along the endline. After Liga knocks it into touch, the ball is swung around to Daniel, who sees an opening and slides it in to Ciro. The ball is knocked away by a well-timed slide, but Daniel is on it, running toward the box! His pass to a well-marked Paulo Baier is knocked straight back to him and he hits a right-foot shot first time... GGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!!!! Daniel, listed on the roster as a defender, but apparently playing as a defensive midfielder, has gone in and Sport is in front 1-0. It looked as if Cevallos may have had a chance to knock it away but if so he was not up to it as it bounded past him into the net.
15' La Liga must be shellshocked. After they had perhaps the slightly better of the play in the first third of the period, to go behind so suddenly is a real killer. Still, they have to be optimistic that they will have their chances to get back into the match as Sport haven't shown they can keep LDU out of the attacking zone.
18' OK, no, Fox is just confused. Now they're showing Sport with 7 points. Wha?!?!
20' Fox makes a third attempt to show the group table - wrong again. How about just show the match?
22' Sport settling into a strategy I like when ahead - long driving shots from behind the formation. Unfortunately Hamilton and Dutra seem to be terrible at long distance shooting so they aren't causing any problem.
23' Manso, for his part, seems to have decided that Liga's best chance is for him to flop around on the ground like a speared fish any time someone comes near him. So far the referee doesn't seem to be buying it.
27' Dutra makes a nice move to free himself on the left side, but Paulo Baier can't catch up to the pass and Ciro, who looks a step slow today, isn't in position to get off a good shot coming back to the ball.
31' The momentum is all with Sport as Liga seem to have lost a bit of steam. The intensity level is still high, but now it's taking the form of hard fouls. You wonder if a yellow card is coming soon.
32' Paulo Baier wins the sweepstakes! He's booked for a clumsy challenge on Manso, who of course makes a meal of it. It was, admittedly, a rough play.
33' Now it's Hamilton who's booked, again for fouling Manso. The official gives a stern warning - he's decided the play has gotten too rough. I can't say I disagree, but I would point out that cuts both ways.
34' Liga looking very ragged as they twice allow Ciro freedom to work inside the penalty area, but only the second yields a shot - nice save by Cevallos and a corner.
35' Wilson is not good.
36' After Manso finally gets a warning for his shameless flopping, Liga has their first good chance in a while on a shot by Bieler just outside the area, but he pushes it wide. Magrao didn't appear beaten but it would have been a difficult save.
43' Moacir with a brilliant run into the center of the box, but he took on one too many people. The ensuing struggle yields a shot by Wilson that might have hit the goal if the goal were the size of Lagoa Dos Patos.
45+' Paulo Baier decides to get in on the flopping act and wins a ridiculous free kick on the right edge of the area, but the free kick is hit into the wall and the half ends with Sport up one-nil.
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