Huachipato achieved its most resounding victory this Wednesday by beating Estudiantes de La Plata 3-4 at home, in a match on the sixth and final day of Group C of the Copa Libertadores.
With this result, the steel team remained behind the leader, The Strongest, who this Wednesday lost 4-0 against Gremio de Porto Alegre in the other match of this day.
Maximiliano Rodríguez (m.37), Zaid Romero, against (m.45), Maximiliano Gutiérrez (m.51) and Carlos Villanueva (m.94) scored the winner’s goals, while Javier Correa with a double (m. 12 and m.49) and Santiago Ascacíbar (m.63) scored for the local team.
The match was very intense back and forth with a local team that was not forceful and that conceded a goal in the final addition that left them empty-handed and eliminated from the top continental tournament.
In the 12th minute came the opening of the scoring, with a perfect cross from Tiago Palacios for Javier Correa, as a palomita, to convert to the delirium of the local public.
However, in the 37th minute, Maximiliano Rodríguez evaded Luciano Lollo’s mark and with a half turn he established equality on the scoreboard.
And before the end of the first half, a clearance effort by Zaid Romero ended up hitting the goal of his teammate Matías Mansilla so that Huachipato went into the break ahead on the scoreboard.
At the dawn of the second half, a free kick from Santiago Ascacíbar met the header first of Luciano Lollo and then of Javier Correa to reach the partial tie for León.
The joy of the tie was short-lived for Estudiantes because in the 51st minute it was Maximiliano Gutiérrez who, upon entering the area, scored with precision to put the visitor ahead for the second time in the match.
‘Pincha’ did not give in and, driven by his people, managed to get Ascacíbar to hit a shot after a cross from the left by Colombian winger Edwuin Cetré in the 63rd minute to re-establish the tie that seemed definitive.
However, in the last minute of extra time, Estudiantes suffered a quick counterattack in transition that Carlos Villanueva finished off goalkeeper Mansilla.
The disappointment was total for Estudiantes and the extreme joy for Huachipato, who now dreams of qualifying for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores and with the consolation for the Argentine team of aspiring at least to qualify for the playoffs for the Copa Sudamericana in the postponed match against Gremio, next June 8.