Zulia surprise with away win against Nacional

Nacional played their first home game of the 2017 Copa Libertadores season against Zulia FC tonight. The match did not quite go according to plan and saw the Uruguayans lose by a goal to nil.

Gran Parque Central on Copa Libertadores night (Photo: Pasión Tricolor Twitter).

Personnel: Two changes for Nacional, three for Zulia

Martín Lasarte brought in Tabaré Viudez who had been lively after coming on against Racing Club on the weekend. He filled the right midfield position in place of Álvaro González, that moved to defensive midfield instead. This whole area of the pitch was a new one, as Santiago Romero had to be replaced and Diego Arismendi was needed at centre-back for the injured Rafael García. Gonzalo Porras rotated into the first XI.

On the other side, coach Daniel Farías swapped three times from the 1-2 home loss against Chapecoense. The defense saw the most changes as both Daniel Rivillo and Sandro Notaroberto went out to be replaced by Kerwin Chirinos and Edixon Cuevas. In addition, César Gómez was replaced by Luciano Guaycochea.

First half: Counters from Zulia enough for lead

Both teams attempted their best to get a positive start for their respective sides. Especially Zulia let the ball circulate well for extended periods of time. Yet the first true chance had to be waited upon until the 14th minute when a shot by Nacional's #9 Hugo Silveira got deflected and had to be saved alertly by the visiting goalkeeper Renny Vega. On the other side, Jefferson Savarino fired a shot wide, was however whistled offside shortly before.

While the Uruguayan champions tried to control the game and moved forward towards the opposing penalty area, they often misplaced passes in midfield, leaving Zulia's midfielders around Juan Arango way too much freedom. Even though the Venezuelan counterattacks could not quite convince regarding an end product, they remained a threat for Nacional's back four.

In the 31st minute, Gran Parque Central saw its first goal of the night, surprisingly coming from the visitors. Zulia beat Nacional with speed and skill, as Arango's high through-ball found the run of Savarino perfectly. Arismendi had been unable to reach the ball with his head, paving the way in on goal for Zulia's #10. He made no mistake and finished past Esteban Conde into the far post.

Zulia kept their danger on the counter up on several occasions afterwards as well. They really deserved their lead here considering Nacional's lack of concentration or decisiveness going forward. Arismendi kept getting exposed in his unusual role and picked up a yellow card in the process, too. Right in added time of the first half, Nacional managed one more big chance when Porras' shot was saved magnificently by Vega with one hand. We went to halftime with an away lead.

Second half: Last big chance wasted by Nacional

The start to the second 45 minutes was much more eventful than the first time around. Inside one minute, Arismendi produced his next huge error that left the strong Yohandry Orozco wide open in the area, but his shot his the crossbar. A minute later, Silveira's sharp cross could not find the waiting Viudez in the middle. Finally, after 52 minutes Martín Lasarte realised that Arismendi at the back was a mistake and replaced him with the talented Agustín Rogel.

Nacional had to do more now offensively and produced half chances from Kevin Ramírez, Tata González and Alfonso Espino in the process.  Lasarte had to risk more at the hour mark and brought on striker Rodrigo Aguirre for Seba Fernández who never really got into the game. Shortly after, Rogel was held during a freekick, before being knocked down by the goalie storming out. The referee missed it alltogether and did not give a penalty.

The home team pressured their opponents much better than they did during the first half and Zulia enjoyed less time on the ball for their creative midfielders. This was also due to Rogel's direct impact who did a nice job in a stronger Nacional back line. Another player to have a potentially big impact? Lasarte's final substitute Martín Ligüera that convinced with goal and assist against Racing on the weekend.

Had Ligüera been a few centimeters taller, he could have reached Ramírez cross not too long after coming on, but it slid out for a goalkick instead. After 87 minutes, Nacional got their huge chance to get the equaliser after all: Polenta won the ball nicely and crossed into the middle to find a wide open Ramírez. His rough luck on the night continued as he volleyed it wide, which was in fact far more complicated than hitting the net. It ended with the surprise away win, 0-1 to Zulia.

Analysis

Two things stopped Nacional from taking the win at home today. Firstly, their incredibly poor midfield and defensive performance in the first half that was rightly punished with a 0-1 deficit. Way too much space was left for Arango, Oroczo and Co. Secondly, they lacked their usual creative spirit including the necessary cutting edge chances. Even though they looked dangerous in the second half, should have had a penalty and nearly scored right at the end, they did not do quite enough overall. Zulia deserved the win thanks to a brave away performance in Montevideo.

Man of the Match

Juan Arango was simply outstanding in Zulia's midfield today, particularly during the first half. He was always there when needed for his teammates to be the recipient of any kind of pass. In addition, he assisted the only goal beautifully and showed that you do not have to be 18 to be a successful football player in 2017.

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Nacional start Copa Libertadores with win over Lanús

After 18 long days, Nacional finally returned to action with their Copa Libertadores tie in Argentina. Their opponents were of high caliber in domestic champions CA Lanús, who had not played a competitive game at all in 2017 as of yet.

Strong away support following Nacional to Argentina (Photo: Nacional/Twitter).

Personnel: Tata González gets his first start

Álvaro González claimed the headlines early as he made his first start for Nacional, replacing Brian Lozano in right midfield. It was the only change made by Martín Lasarte from the last league outing. Lanús coach Jorge Almirón on the other hand used none of his newly signed players in his first XI and trusted the likes of José Sand and Lautaro Acosta. Goalkeeper Esteban Andrada replaced the injured Fernando Monetti, who was a big loss for the Argentines.

First half: Decent away performance underlined by lead

The opening stages of the match were relatively quiet with both teams trying to find a way to settle following their long breaks. A first attempt from Kevin Ramírez flew wide after 9 minutes. Just one minute later, it was Hugo Silveira, who used an error in Lanús' defense, but had his shot saved by Andrada. Uruguay's record champion enjoyed a decent start, not only because of two half chances. They did not offer the home team any room at all going forward and controlled the game from their own half. 

It took Lanús 24 minutes to produce a first bit of danger around Nacional's penalty area, yet they failed to get a clear shot on goal in the process. Lasarte's back line blocked shot after shot beautifully before clearing the danger. An attack across the left wing brought the deserved lead for Nacional after 26 minutes. Ramírez played an excellent ball towards Espino under pressure and the left-back, after advancing forward, found Silveira in the middle with the perfect pass, leaving the striker with no other option than to score. 

Hugo Silveira celebrates after giving his team the lead.

The Uruguayans nearly got a second goal not too long after when Ramírez was sent through with a high ball, but Andrade was there in time to clear the danger. Lanús struggled to find an answer to the goal against, but had an excellent chance after 35 minutes. A mad scramble in the 6-yard box ended with the ball hitting Silveira's hand (accidentally). He managed to clear it away from his own goal line. On the other side, the lively Ramírez had yet another chance to make it 2-0 and sent the ball narrowly wide. 

Second half: A few scares, but across the finish line

Lanús did not get a much better start to the second 45 minutes either. An even match saw both teams fight their midfield battles for quite some time. After about an hour, the home team collected a little more possession, without actually threatening Esteban Conde's goal. Nacional did the obvious in the meantime and waited for their chance to counter. 

Lanús had their first chance of the second half after 67 minutes, Román Martínez' header from a corner, denied in magnificent fashion by the aforementioned Conde. What makes the save more impressive is his absolute non-existent involvement in the previous 20 minutes. Both coaches produced a series of substitutions, which for example saw goalscorer Silveira exit the field after a good performance. 

Reaching the last 10 minutes, it was all or nothing time for the Argentines. You would have thought so at least. Nacional's defense still held up strong and Lanús did not exactly seem like a team filled with the last bit of energy, which is understandable considering their heavy amount of time without competitive football. It ended with just the one goal and a 1-0 win for Nacional.

Man of the Match: Rafael García 

Rock-solid at the back, without any mistakes, even dangerous up front for set pieces, Garcia was leading his team together with captain Diego Polenta throughout the 90 minutes to a deserved win. The few amount of chances for Lanús underline a very good defensive away performance. Just what Nacional and Lasarte wanted from their back-line and XI. 

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Álvaro González joins Nacional on two-year deal

Álvaro González returns home. On Friday, the midfielder signed a two-year contract with his former club Nacional. Back in 2009/10, "Tata" already played for the Tricolor. 

Álvaro González signs his new contract (Photo: nacional.uy)

González arrived a couple of days ago to meet with the club officials. Those included José Luis Rodríguez, Heber Lambert, Dr. Pablo Durán and Alejandro Lembo. Especially Rodríguez made clear right away that he was optimistic to sign the player. As it turns out, he was fully correct and got the two-year deal on paper only hours later. 

For those that have for some reason never seen him play, here is the kind of player he is. As a very flexible midfielder, his main strengths are of a defensive nature. He is strong physically, very determined, good at winning back balls. However, his deliveries should also be noticeable, particularly in a less strong league such as Uruguay's. Lastly, he adds character and winning spirit to a group that has already won the Apertura title quite comfortably in the end. 

The player himself is happy to return to his former club. In the aforementioned 09/10 season, González featured in 29 league games and another eight internationally. In the process, he scored three goals against Atenas, Fénix and Danubio. At the end of the successful season, the Uruguayan joined Lazio Roma and stayed in Italy's capital for six years, aside from loan spells to Torino and Atlas in Mexico. 

From 2006 onwards, he also defended the colours of the Celeste. In 66 games, he could celebrate about a goal on three occasions. Three Copa América tournaments (and a title in 2011), a World Cup (2014) and a Confederations Cup appearance (2013) later, Nacional have got him back home. 

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Diego Coelho shows promise in Nacional's preseason

While the South American U20 championships are on, the focus naturally lies on the continent's elite talent. Clubs from all over Europe have sent their scouts to Ecuador. One player that is not involved in the tournament is Diego Coelho. Nevertheless, he is making a lot of noise during Nacional's preseason, having scored two goals already. What makes him one of the club's most promising talents?

Diego Coelho in training (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy).

In Nacional's sheer endless pipeline of excellent young players, Diego Coelho is just one of six talents that received their shot at first team action in preseason. Along with the likes of Facundo Labandeira, Gabriel Neves, Guzmán Corujo, Thiago Vecino and Axel Müller, Coelho started training with Martín Lasarte's men on January 4. 

The 22-year old Diego Coelho is a striker and owned family ties to the club before even playing his first friendly minutes. Father Walter Fabian played for Nacional from 1995 to 2005 and won six Primera División titles in the process. His son is still at the beginning of his own career, but his preseason form suggests at least raw talent. Diego produced two goals in as many games against Boston River and Montevideo Wanderers and left a good impression on Nacional's coaching staff that just welcomed Rodrigo Aguirre as a new striker option. 

"I am happy to take the opportunity, trying to do what the coach asks me and to add to the team", Coelho explains. "They game me opportunities to convert and the most important thing is to show efficiency in front of the net. I have the ability to face the play and help in the build-up, but also to take advantage of any ball that is in the area."

Diego Coelho's strengths are indeed quickly discovered: a big body paired with the ability to make good runs, quick pivots and most importantly a nose for the goal. Playing in the third Uruguayan division, he was able to showcase those skills on a regular basis in Nacional's second team. Even though Lasarte knows that the player still needs time and should not be rushed into top tier football too soon, he is also aware of the athlete he has in the club already. The coach underlines: "With these guys [Coelho and the other five] one has to be very careful and even more so at Nacional. In case it does not work out for them, it can generate a lot of frustration in the player and that is what we desire the least."

Nacional's training coordinator, Sebastián Taramasco, was interviewed regarding the talent in the club's youth team: "We start from the fact that all coaches are in permanent contact with us and the management. This includes watching trainings, matches or having talks with one another. We spoke with Martín [Lasarte] about this preseason and reached the result of adding these six players to the first team."

Whether Diego Coelho receives much playing time during the Clausura is rather doubtful with Hugo Silveira and Rodrigo Aguirre ahead of him. One thing remains certain: The striker is definitely one to watch in the future, whether it will be at Nacional or another club. 

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Nacional in position to win Uruguayan Apertura title

Surely there are more serious topics than a league title in the football world at the moment. Despite Chapecoense's tragic disaster and last weekend's scandal at the Clásico, Uruguay will go ahead with its penultimate Apertura matchday. Under certain conditions, Nacional could win the title already.

The scene at Nacional's training complex (Photo: nacional.uy).

Peñarol - Nacional ended up in a massive scandal, but not necessarily a bad one for the Tricolor. The football association AUF awarded them the three points for the Clásico. This puts Martín Lasarte's team into a position to win the title during the upcoming weekend. A home win over Juventud is the first thing required. In addition, Nacional need Danubio to drop points away to Fénix. 

A look at the numbers

For Nacional, chances are not looking too bad. They have only played five home games so far this season, winning each of them. Visiting Juventud on the other hand are not scaring anybody away from home this year. Only one win in six tries speaks a clear language. This is being underlined by a league-low three away goals. 

Ultimately, it will likely be about how well Danubio fares in their own match. While having a positive (3-1-2) away record, their opponents were not the strongest. Through their last three games, Leonardo Ramos' squad also managed to score just two total goals. Fénix' home form has been a single up and down throughout the season as well. They are 1-1-1 in their last three. 

Champion, yes or no?

It is still a South American football league. Predicting outcomes of games is incredibly hard. A Nacional win over Juventud seems highly likely, given the opportunity to win a title as well. Another bright side for Diego Polenta and teammates is their two-week long break from their last game. It gave every player an extended rest and Lasarte some time to work on tactical issues. 

The other game is the tougher one. Considering Danubio's struggles to find the back of the net, I see them not getting more than a draw away from home. Nacional will win the title in week 14 already.

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Silveira show as Nacional stay top

Week 10 in Uruguay's Primera División held no big surprises. Most of the favourites filled their role nicely and were victorious. Among them: Nacional, Danubio and Peñarol.

Ligüera shows his class again in Nacional's win over River (Photo: nacional.uy).

Hugo Silveira was the key figure for Nacional this weekend. In a 3-1 win over River Plate on Sunday evening, the striker assisted on all three goals. The Tricolor was up 2-0 early through goals from Kevin Ramírez (13') and Sebastián Fernández (24'). Inside a packed Gran Parque Central, the home team profited from an early red card for the visitors. Fernando Gorriarán went showering early after a stunningly poor tackle on Viudez after just ten minutes. 

Domination continued in the second half and Martín Ligüera made his presence felt instantly after coming on. While his first magnificent attempt went stopped after he left the whole defense stranded behind him, the second try worked out for him. Following a strong run and precise cross from Silveira, Ligüera was there to head it home for a three-goal lead. 

Despite Mathías Saavedra getting a goal back via penalty three minutes later (74'), the win was never under much threat. A good save from Esteban Conde later, the match was a success. Nacional stay on top of the Apertura table after their eigth win in ten games. 

Danubio following closely

Equally successful is just one team: Danubio. The bottom feeders from last year have recovered tremendously and added another win this weekend. Against Boston River, they managed to showcase their comeback qualities, winning 1-2 after coming from behind. Pablo Ceppelini gave the promoted team a first half lead (29') with a shot from the edge of the area. 

While Danubio had already been the better team throughout the first half, collecting the lionshare of opportunities. They finally made it count after a good hour. Damián Malrechauffe's effort was saved by Boston's goalkeeper, but was it in front of or behind the line? The replay angle was not highly conclusive.

A goal or not? 

Six minutes from the end, Joaquín Ardaiz decided the game with yet another weird goal. The player was already on the ground, but somehow managed to get a leg to the ball near him. The push was enough to take it past goalkeeper and line. Conclusively, you might want to add, this time around.

Peñarol discover goalscoring form

Peñarol have celebrated their second win in a row and third of the season. Yellow and black managed to beat Sud América 4-1 away from home. Things were looking grim early on for Peñarol yet again, when they fell down 1-0 through a Gonzalo Camargo strike after 17 minutes. This time around, Fernando Curutchet's men found a way back at an important time. Right before the break, Junior Arias of all people equalised for the visitors. 

After struggling to find the net for the opening 7 weeks, the striker has now scored three goals in as many games. It was the start of a strong second half that saw Peñarol score another three. Nicolás Albarracin (65'), Diego Rossi (75') and Nicolás Dibble (86') all got on the scoresheet later on. Not only does this win give their team the well-needed points. Additionally, a comeback win allows them to grow their confidence that is at a low seeing their 12-point gap to archrivals Nacional on top.

Elsewhere around the league

Montevideo Wanderers held onto third place in the table despite a 0-0 draw against Plaza Colonia. Liverpool, that could have jumped past them, lost their own game to Fénix, 1-0. Matias Mirabaje scored his second goal of the season for the home team.

Defensor Sporting needed a last minute winner from Facundo Castro to beat Rampla Juniors away. Racing convinced early on, bagging three quick goals away to Cerro. The home team nearly came back through two penalties from Maureen Franco and Pablo Caballero. It remained 2-3 at the end. 

Villa Española stay bottom of the league after a 1-1 draw with Juventud. Pablo Silva equalised for Villa in the second half after Leandro Zapze had given the home team the lead early on. 

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Big guns show mediocrity in Uruguay

When it comes to being favourites in the Uruguayan Primera División, two names quickly arise to the top of all discussions - for a good reason. Peñarol and Nacional share the lionshare of fans throughout the small nation among the Río de la Plata. Their performances in recent weeks have most certainly not lived up to the traditionally high expectations. 

Four games into the new season and after a lot of promising summer signings for both teams, Nacional and Peñarol find themselves positioned in midfield of the table. The latter have collected only five points thus far, currently one point behind their archrivals. Issues are ever-present on both sides, but of completely different nature. 

Peñarol

Disappointment about the lack of goals (Photo: peñarol.org).

Possessing the shared-best defense in the league is a sign that would usually make you a title contender. But not so fast: Peñarol have one big problem, a surprising one you might find after summer signings of the goalgetters Gastón Rodríguez and Junior Arias. During the past Clausura, both players found themselves on top of the league's scoring sheet with 16 and 10 goals respectively for their previous teams Wanderers and Liverpool. Now they scored zero goals. Considering the fact they were supposed to be Peñarol's new striking force, it is quite obviously a key area that explains what is going wrong. 

Two goals in four games simply will not crack it in a league, where a goal can always be scored out of nowhere, for literally any team, as proven by Plaza Colonia last season. Did Gastón Rodríguez' numbers last season fool the fans in yellow and black? Let us be clear that last season was unusual for him and off the charts. 16 goals in 14 games were simply outstanding. In no other half year in his career did Rodríguez score more than six goals, mostly even less. Certainly, he is a great striker for Uruguayan league standards. 

However, Peñarol has to be aware that him alone will not win them the championship, without according support from midfield. Junior Arias on the other hand is still young, 23 years of age, while consistently having improved throughout the past years. It was the player's dream to play for the club after improving from 6 to 9 to 10 goals in the Primera. He received the chance and has not really impressed so far either.

On the bright side, the aforementioned defense has been strong so far. In front of talented goalkeeper Gastón Guruceaga, the back four has seen several changes through injury or performance. One thing that did not change were the three clean sheets to start the year. 

Nacional

Focal point Martin Ligüera (Photo: nacional.uy).

If anything is not a problem for Nacional, it is the offense. They at least managed one goal in each of their four games, mixing their goalscorers around nicely, with nearly every striker scoring already. Sebastián Fernández and Martín Ligüera twice, Kevin Ramírez and Tabaré Viudez once each. Particularly apart from the 3-2 win over Plaza Colonia, it has not been all that convincing either though. 

Martin Ligüera's technical magic alone was the reason for the most recent win, when he scored from a direct freekick on the edge of the area against Fénix. The only other chance that game came from another set piece, when Mauricio Victorino headed just wide in the first half. Way too often, Martín Lasarte's men were seen playing through the middle with high balls. It is not really explicable considering the absence of a true proven number nine, unless you want to call the new signing Hugo Silveira that. 

Defensively, captain Diego Polenta and Jorge Fucile did not exactly bring the necessary stability back with them from their absences. This recently even led to Diego Espino rotating out of the first eleven to make room for Colombian Sergio Otalvaro. Nacional's defensive problems have translated straight over to the new season and could not be fixed under Lasarte so far. One thing that might help the back four is a little more balance with the defensive midfielders. Santiago Romero and Gonzalo Porras have found themselves caught in possession too often during the first weeks. Making sure to always have one player support the backline could work wonders and leave goalkeeper Esteban Conde with a little more hair on his head.

The near future

It is likely that eventually Rodríguez and Arias will start to score goals for Peñarol. Especially Arias' development speaks for a bright future for the young striker after getting used to his new surroundings. If they do not get it done, there is still Miguel Murillo in coach Pablo Bengoechea's backhand. Their defense should remain decent as the season progresses. 

Nacional on the other hand needs to fix several issues, but especially defensively. Who is going to do that? I do not know. On paper, they are good enough to play solid at the very least. However, when it comes to the on-pitch product, there is severe room for improvement. The fact that they somewhat rely on Ligüera offensively by now is not good considering his age, but should keep going well in the near future still. 

The good news for both is clearly that top of the table Danubio only collected nine points so far too, followed by several clubs with eight points. By having one good weekend, both teams would be right back in the mix to play for the title in Uruguay. That is the beauty of South American football. 

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Analysis: Nacional - Plaza Colonia

Nacional were hosting Plaza Colonia in an attempt to recover from their 1-2 loss to Danubio a few days ago. They did so successfully by beating the Clausura champions 3-2 at Gran Parque Central.

The first half really did not catch anyone on their feet entertainment-wise, but Nacional played quite well tactically, without allowing much. They took the lead in a fashion typical for this game. Nacional's biggest strength, their speedy wingers, proved vital after 17 minutes when Leandro Barcia was brought down inside the area after a nice run down the left.

Barcia brought down for a penalty.

Veteran striker Sebastián Rodríguez had no big trouble converting into the bottom left corner. However, before the goal, the hosts did not have many clear cut opportunities, a header from Mauricio Victorino after a set piece probably the best. This was often due to a lack of precision on their way forward. 

What worked best remained their wing play, with Barcia, Tabaré Viudez and Kevin Ramírez. While the latter joined Fernández up front to form a striking duo at times, he also joined the rotation with the other two. This saw Ramírez return to his common position from last season, the left wing, with Barcia on the right and Viudez down the middle. It was a smart change by Martín Lasarte's men, considering the lack of balls the actual strikers got up front. 

When he came into the play, Fernández was always dangerous, having another great opportunity to score denied by goalkeeper Dawson (28'). The rotation was ripped apart shortly after though, with Barcia having to leave the game injured. The less flexible oldie Martín Ligüera came on to replace him as true #10. 

On the other side of the ball, they were really well-organized too for the most part and showed some active defense against Plaza's rare attacks. One reason of them being so rare was the early distruction of any sort of attack by gaining a numerical advantage near the ball at all times. 

Three man take the ball away from Plaza's midfielder.

The fact that Nacional did not go to the half-time with the lead was simply down to a lot of bad luck. Plaza Colonia won a freekick about 25m out and the shot would have been an easy save for Esteban Conde. Gonzalo Porras as outside part of the wall deflected the ball and gave it its significant change of direction. It bounced against the inside of the post and in and Villoldo had equalised right before the break.

The second half started very evenly with not too many chances on both ends. Kevin Ramírez was denied by an exceptional reaction from Dawson. Just as Plaza Colonia was improving and applying a solid forecheck, they were punished twice inside one minute and basically sent home. 

Ligüera was sent through on the right side of the area and crossed beautifully for Ramírez. He for some reason could not put the ball across the line, so Fernández helped him out for his second of the night. The second goal seconds later was not much different. Viudez' cross from the right was buried by Ligüera himself this time. It was an emotional moment for the Nacional returnee. 

For obvious reasons, Nacional received a ton more room now and Ligüera could pick his favourite passes out of his magic hat. At least until the visitors struck out of nowhere again. From a throw-in on the right, noone could get the ball away and instead of hitting it for the sidelines, Gonzalo Porras for some reason decided it was a good idea to fire it into the center of his own area, where it was deflected to and Leyes stood where he had to to convert. 

Three against one, but Plaza will score in the middle.

Plaza's goal quickly destroyed any Nacional confidence and they turned hectic and simply bad at the back with inexplicable errors and nearly an own goal from Santiago Romero. The fact that their opponents barely gave them any serious tasks and yet the defense shook considerably is a reason to worry for Nacional going forward. They have some work to do on this end and Lasarte knows it. 

The 3-2 lead on the night was brought across the line and gives them their first three points at least. It leaves the Gran Parque Central crowd happy and that is what matters in the end.

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Nacional visit Danubio to get season started

Finally, the new season in Uruguay's Primera División is about to begin today. Two games will be played at 20:30 CET, one of them Danubio - Nacional. Here is all you need to know ahead of the season start.

Nacional - Danubio in Uruguay today (Photo: nacional.uy).

When Nacional travel to the Estadio Jardines del Hipódromo later today, they find themselves confronted with a tough challenge to begin with. From the past 6 games against Danubio, Uruguay's record champion could only win one while losing the other five. Their advantage this time around might be that no team really knows where it stands before things get started. 

The prolonged summer break due to safety concerns surrounding the big stadiums left the teams with a lot of friendlies to be played throughout the past weeks. When it gets serious today, Martín Lasarte's team will be without their captain. Diego Polenta was one of the players losing their cool during the meltdown at the end of last season. 

His replacement will likely be Rafael García. The Nacional youth product returned to the club this summer from his loan to Argentina's Defensa y Justicia. Possible returns to the field also include midfielder Diego Arismendi and winger Tabaré Viudez. Especially the latter could prove vital going forward with his speed and smart movement. 

Lasarte nominated the following players for the travel to play Danubio:

Esteban Conde, Luis Mejía.
Jorge Fucile, Mauricio Victorino, Rafael García, Alfonso Espino, Mathías Olivera, Agustín Lapido.
Diego Arismendi, Gonzalo Porras, Felipe Carballo, Sebastián Rodríguez, Santiago Romero, Martín Ligüera.
Leandro Barcia, Brian Lozano, Tabaré Viudez, Kevin Ramírez, Hugo Silveira, Sebastián Fernández.

This would make the following lineup look likely:
Conde - Fucile, Victorino, Garcia, Espino - Romero, Arismendi - Barcia, Lozano - Ramírez, Viudez.

 As you can tell, there are so many options, especially offensively, producing trouble to even fit everyone into a lineup. Good news for Lasarte, experienced Ligüera is a fantastic midfielder too.

Danubio on the other end will be without two players. Right midfielder Jorge Graví is suspended due to his accumulation of yellow cards. Offensive midfielder Marcelo Tabárez is dealing with a knee injury. They are two regulars on the team and will be missed by coach Leandro Ramos.

Centre-back Cristian González has left Danubio to join Sevilla's B team in Spain. He will leave a vacancy at the back as well.

Expert's Voice for Sporticos. 

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Viudez' farewell to River Plate teammates

Tabaré Viudez is close to rejoining Nacional from Argentina's River Plate. The 26-year old winger played his last game for the Uruguayan record champion in 2012.

Tabaré Viudez in the Nacional shirt back in 2012. (Photo: mundod.lavoz.com.ar)

According to a report from Ovación, Tabaré Viudez bid farewell to his River Plate teammates in Orlando, Florida the past afternoon. The Copa Libertadores holders are currently holding their pre-season camp in the United States and will, if everything goes according to plan, tackle the upcoming challenges without Viudez. 

Nacional president José Luis Rodríguez has told media representatives that the player will arrive in Montevideo today and sign his contract after the final talks.

After coming up through the ranks of Defensor Sporting, Viudez joined AC Milan aged 18 for €2.5 million. He could not make it into the first team of the iconic Italian club, which loaned him back to Defensor. From there, it led him to Mexico to play for CF América and Nexaca, before arriving at Nacional for the first time back in 2011. He stayed there until June 2012 and continued his career at Turkish club Kasimpasa for nearly three years. In July 2015, he joined River Plate.

Viudez, with just 169cm body size, is a speedy winger who is able to fill several positions up front. While the main one is the right wing, he is able to play on the left side as well as secondary striker. His two-footedness allows him to be very flexible and mobile. At Nacional, he will join the battle for a starting position with the likes of Leandro Barcia, Brian Lozano and Kevin Ramírez.

En la despedida de las canchas de un grande de un ídolo y gran persona!!! El @chino_recoba20

Ein von Tabare Viudez (@tabare_viudez) gepostetes Foto am 31. Mär 2016 um 20:16 Uhr

As you can tell from the picture above, Viudez is familiar with the club legends. When Álvaro Recoba played his testimonial at Gran Parque Central a while back, he invited the winger to join his side for a fantastic evening.

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Brian Lozano leaves Mexico to return home

Brian Lozano is very close to a return to his home country Uruguay. A transfer from Mexican side CF América to Nacional is imminent and will be made public in the near future. 

Brian Lozano in the Uruguay shirt. (Photo: alchetron.com)

During January 2016, Brian Lozano made the big step: The then 21 year old decided to leave his home country to reach his breakthrough in the (probably) best Latin American football league, in Mexico. The young Uruguayan had some trouble finding his way into the new side, starting just one game. After 45 minutes without much luck, he was substituted in a 1-4 loss to Pachuca. 

In mid-March it was an injury that stopped him and kept him out of the team until the end of the season. A total of 112 minutes of playing time in 6 months is not sufficient for a player that is still developing. It was the main motive for Lozano's agent, Flavio Perchman, to push a move to a foreign country. Mexican league regulations would only allow a move outside of the country at this time. 

Due to Christian Tabó's exit from Nacional, it was clear that coach Martín Lasarte wanted to bring in a new speedy winger to replace the often underperforming Tabó. Lozano fits that role perfectly and will join the Tricolor on loan for one year. He has been a standout player for Defensor Sporting ever since going up the youth ranks of the club. In 2015, he even managed to be called up to Uruguay's national team, an honour that not many young players receive from coach Óscar Tabárez. 

The diminutive winger (just 1.66m) will enter the competition for a starting spot with Kevin Ramírez on the left and Leandro Barcia on the right side. Both played excellent seasons in early 2016 until injuries stopped them. The latest reports suggest that the club will keep searching for a true #9 to be fed by those wingers and support Nico López in his role up front.

According to Pasión Tricolor, the negotiations between América and Nacional are about to reach its conclusion, and the Uruguayans are also positive on the deal. América's president Ricardo Peláez has already confirmed the player's exit to Uruguay's record champion.

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Sebastián Rodríguez joins Nacional from Liverpool

Uruguayan record champions Nacional have made their first purchase of the summer. Central midfielder Sebastián Rodríguez leaves Liverpool to join one of the big two clubs of the city.

Sebastián Rodríguez joins Nacional. (Photo: tenfield.com.uy)

After a disappointing league campaign, Nacional have started their business early during the month of June. Following the arrival of new coach Martín Lasarte, the first (and not the last) player has joined the club too. 

Central midfielder Sebastián Rodríguez is 23 years old and has been one of the most consistent players for Liverpool last season. During the Clausura, he played 14 of 15 games for the full 90 minutes. While doing so, Rodríguez scored a goal and assisted a further one. 

His main strengths are strategic ones. He will battle Santiago Romero and Gonzalo Porras for a place in the starting eleven, should they stay at the club. Rodríguez' technique and ball control are excellent, along with decent vision on the pitch. Despite not showing up on the scoring sheet too often, the midfielder has a good shot. 

Take a look at him demonstrating that shot during the Apertura on Youtube.

After becoming a professional footballer in the youth academy of Danubio, Rodríguez left his home country aged 18 in 2011. His destination: Spain, where he played for UD Almeria's second team in the third tier of Spanish football. In 2014, he moved on to Swiss fourth league side Locarno. During the first half of the season, he could not make it to the matchday squad, before playing a key role in the second half all of a sudden. He found himself on the pitch for 90 minutes regularly, yet decided to return to Uruguay a year after his arrival. 

Seemingly, the player had already been on the transfer market a while ago, with reported interest of Nacional and Peñarol. In the end, the Tricolor made the decisive move and had enough convincing arguments for Rodríguez.

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Disappointing end to a good season? - Nacional

After years of international struggles, Nacional had a good year again in the Copa Libertadores. While reaching the quarterfinals in the most prestigious South American competition, the league form dipped accordingly. Despite having the chance to win the annual table, they lost game after game to end the year.

Will he continue? Coach Gustavo Munúa. (Photo: nacional.uy)

At the end of the day, the record champion was lucky that Racing Club was present enough to beat CA Cerro. Nacional had even slipped into danger of missing the 2017 Copa Libertadores completely, which would have been a complete disaster for Gustavo Munúa's men. The former goalkeeper, along with club management, built a good team that competed in both competitions for the longest time.

Once injuries and Copa América ripped core parts out of the team, the obvious fact surfaced: The alternatives are nowhere near the quality of the first team. A lot of blame gets directed towards Munúa, which is not fair in my opinion. The team was carried by Nico López' goalscoring and presence up front for weeks and when he was down and out, Leo Gamalho was supposed to replace him. The same Gamalho that scored a grand total of two goals after arriving to the club from Brazilian side Avaí. In no way was he able to replace the previously departed Iván Alonso or the injured López. The former captain was missed in every way, despite the club's decent success.

Two further players that had been among the best all season, Jorge Fucile and Mauricio Victorino, were called up for the Copa América Centenario by Uruguay and missed the last two games of the Clausura season as well. Poor defensive sequences and the obvious losses to average teams such as Rentistas and Liverpool followed. During yesterday's last game of the season, a 0-2 loss to Liverpool, the team completely lost its cool and had three players sent off: Eguren on the bench, Gamalho and captain Polenta on the field. There are ways you can go out of the season with your heads held high, this was not one of them.

Nevertheless, a weak season with five losses and just seven wins in 15 games are the remainders to go along with nice memories of the Libertadores campaign. Nacional finished fourth in the league, were even overtaken by Montevideo Wanderers on Saturday. From my personal view, there are still many positives one can build on next year. For example, some individual seasons were outstanding. Not only Nico López fully convinced upon his return, Esteban Conde did really well in goal throughout the season, being supported by Victorino and Diego Polenta. Both had their ups and downs, but were usually there when it mattered most. Left-back Alfonso Espino made a lot of progress and Jorge Fucile was probably the best player aside from López.

For the club, it would be very important to keep their best players for next year as well. To have any chance of a larger development, Nacional should continue to move forward with Munúa. They have the advantage of not having to play in the Copa Sudamericana in the fall, as the champion of Uruguay (Plaza Colonia or Peñarol) will qualify along with the 4th, 5th and 6th best teams. It gives the team the opportunity to concentrate on the Apertura, which is well needed after the disastrous end to 2015/16.

Until next season. (Photo: nacional.uy)

One thing that is for certain in the midst of all questions? The fans will continue to walk into Gran Parque Central next year as well and make the atmosphere an unforgettable one.

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Nacional knocked out in dramatic fashion

The dream is over: Nacional have been knocked out on penalties by Boca Juniors in the Bombonera last night. After 90 intense minutes, it had been 1-1 like in the first leg a week ago. 

The captains Cata Díaz and Polenta before the game. (Photo: nacional.uy)

Uruguay's champion could count on a lot of away support over in Buenos Aires. Argentina's capital ended up experiencing a fantastic atmosphere from both sets of fans. 

Personnel

Boca coach Guillermo Schelotto made one change from the first leg a week ago in Montevideo. Andrés Chávez replaced Federico Carrizo in the starting XI.

Gustavo Munúa on the other hand did not have Kevin Ramírez available at all and Nico López unable to start. They were replaced by Felipe Carballo in left midfield and Leo Gamalho up front.

First half

Boca started well, picking up two big opportunities inside the first five minutes and not giving Nacional the chance to calmly settle in. Esteban Conde was called upon to produce a nice save on a shot from the edge of the area and an even bigger one on the rebound attempt from Carlos Tévez. Shortly after, Juan Insaurralde's header went just wide.

That was it for Argentina's double winner for quite a long time though. Finally, Nacional felt comfortable at the back and destroyed most attacks in midfield already. Whatever came through was headed away with poise from Mauricio Victorino or captain Diego Polenta. Their first half chance came through a header from Gamalho, but it was a rather weak one after Jorge Fucile's cross from the right.

20 minutes in, the visitors took the lead. Sebastián Fernández slid the ball out to the right into the run of Leandro Barcia. He produced a speedy cross, meant for Fernández in the middle again. Instead, it was Boca captain Cata Díaz making contact with the ball and deflecting it high into his own net. Nothing better than a lead could have happened to the Uruguayans who could concentrate on defending even more now.

While the game got quite rough in midfield in the following stages, chances stayed absent for a pretty large time. Only after 35 minutes, Chávez was suddenly wide open at the back post and headed Pavón's cross wide poorly. Right at the brink of halftime, Boca could have scored again, but Conde managed to deny Pavón after he received a lovely assist from Tévez.

Second half

The second 45 minutes started less frantically than the previous. Slowly but surely, Boca was the only team to get anything done offensively though, clearly aided by the fact that Nacional did not have to. Pablo Pérez collected three shots by himself until the hour mark, most from distance and either wide or saved relatively comfortably. Nacional on the other hand got opportunities through counters, just could not find the deadly final pass. Often, Fernández was all alone up front with Gamalho being an obstacle rather than help. Once they did get through, but Romero's shot was not dangerous enough to get by Agustín Orión.

A key scene then in the 67th minute. Pavón slided into Espino with a two-footed tackle and magically stayed on the pitch with just a yellow card. The refereeing in general was not good tonight and saw many little, and in this case a big one, errors.

Obviously, when Boca got the equalizer, it had to be Pavón. A long pass to the right knocked out the visiting defense completely and found the run of the striker perfectly. His finish was decent as well and beat Conde to his right side from a pretty tight angle. The fact that Pavón is not too smart showed again during his goal celebration. He took off his shirt and received his second yellow card 7 minutes after his first.

Munúa pulled his last card and brought on the clearly not 100% striker López for Gamalho. In the 84th minute, Nico López actually found the back of the net, but from an offside position. After injuries, a goal and a sending off, Mr. Referee saw no need for any second of added time at the end of 90 minutes, so we went right into penalties.

Penalties

Let us make it short, Boca were the luckier ones during the crapshoot. The first five attempts from both teams combined all went in, before Pérez had his shot saved by Conde. The goalkeeper show continued, as Porras, Insaurralde and Romero were all denied by the respective keepers. Romero could have brought Nacional into the semifinals with his attempt, instead Fabra made it 3-3. Now, the Uruguayans seemingly without any confidence left, sent the young Carballo who shot right into the middle of the goal. No problem for Oríon, who then left the field to substitute Carrizo. Three days after his 25th birthday, the Argentina fired Boca into the round of the last four.

Analysis

Well done to team and fans. (Photo: nacional.uy)

While Boca was the better team on the night, they were simply the luckier ones at the end. Nacional had it on their plates and let it slip away again. They played a good away game, not allowing Boca too much especially during the first half.

Gamalho and Carballo were weakening the team heavily compared to the usual personnel, which is also a reason why Nacional had trouble offensively. Quite obvious that the only goal came from a combination of Barcia and Seba. Alfonso Espino did really well on the left side until he was overplayed on Boca's goal.

Still, the back four Fucile-Victorino-Polenta-Espino has been one of Nacional's biggest strengths this Copa Libertadores season that sadly came to an end now. They can still go out with their heads held high and hopefully attack again next season with a similar looking team, not destroyed by some buying happy millionaire clubs.

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Peñarol steal a lucky point from Nacional

On Sunday afternoon local time, it was finally time for the Clausura Clásico between Peñarol and Nacional. The venue: Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, which was nicely filled despite the persistent rain in Uruguay's capital. 

Exciting clash between two bitter rivals in Montevideo. (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy)

Personnel

Nacional were forced into two changes from the Copa Libertadores outing against Boca Juniors. As expected, striker Nico López and Kevin Ramírez could not play and were replaced by Christian Tabó and Léo Gamalho. 

Peñarol made four changes from their 3-0 win over Villa Teresa last weekend. Diego Forlán, Miguel Murillo, Nahitan Nández and Luis Aguiar replaced Diego Rossi, Hernán Novick, Christian Palacios and Nicolás Albarracín. 

First half

No tiredness to be seen early on from Nacional after playing Copa Libertadores football in midweek. They were on the front foot right away and created their first opportunity before a minute was played. Gamalho's header went right into the arms of Gastón Guruceaga. After about 10 minutes, Tabó tried his luck with a lob that sank dangerously and was tipped over the bar by Peñarol's goalkeeper eventually.

It took the home team a while to get into the game, as their first chance came shortly after the quarter hour mark. Nández arrived a little too late at the far post to convert Forlán's decent deep cross. Nacional added two chances through Fucile from distance and Gamalho just missing a header, while Peñarol had the biggest opportunity of the half. After Forlán made Fucile look a little silly at the back, Murillo could not reach the cross of his striking partner at the far post.

After a great start from Nacional who showed no tiredness in the first half, Peñarol got into the game a little better after quarter of an hour and produced some first chances. Especially Diego Forlán proved instrumental going forward yet again and had his foot in every chance. The rest of the first 45 minutes was even between the two foes and rightfully ended tied at zero.

Second half

Goal from Diego Polenta. (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy)

If you enjoy spectacle, now was your time to tune into this game. Only three minutes into the second half, Mathías Aguirregaray thought it was a good idea to lift his leg high up against Tabó. He hit the winger and Nacional was awarded a correct penalty. As López missed today's game, it was the captain himself who stepped up for the penalty. Diego Polenta left no doubts and fired it into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 lead for Nacional.

Yet again, it took the home team about 15 minutes to find their game - at least for a short while, as we found out later. Forlán's shot sailed over the bar and coach Jorge Da Silva brought on Hernán Novick for the toothless Murillo. Hernán thanked him right away by kicking a lovely corner into the penalty area, finding the head of Aguirregaray. The defender then found the back of the net and it was all tied up again (62').

The situation lasted for only three minutes, before Nacional got their second penalty of the evening. Aguiar caught Barcia's foot on the edge of the penalty area (yes, inside) and yet again the referee pointed to the spot. Big game players are made for this and Polenta showed again why he is just one of those by converting his second penalty, cooly into the same corner. 2-1 Nacional!

Following their second goal, it was all Nacional going forward. Peñarol hit a wall whenever they attempted to attack their opponents. Big chances from Romero and Sebastián Fernández multiple times were the consequence. The striker will regret his finish in the 77th minute the most of all. A 3 on 1 counter led to Seba standing all alone in front of Guruceaga, but instead of firing it into the net, he put it wide.

Peñarol were even further weakened shortly after when Fernández had broken through on a counter attack yet again. Guillermo Rodríguez brought him down as the last man and saw the red card. Nothing spoke for yellow & black to come back and somehow they still did it. In the last minutes of a four minute long injury time, they created their first chances since Nacional's second goal. Esteban Conde had the better end of Aguiar's freekick, but when the midfielder crossed for Marcel Novick, the goalkeeper was powerless himself. Novick's header flew against the inside of the post and into the net for a much celebrated equalizer by one half of the stadium.

Analysis

Creator of Peñarol's lucky point: Marcel Novick. (Photo: ovaciondigital.com.uy)

An extremely lucky point for Peñarol considering their disadvantage with 10 men and their inability to create any chances throughout the last 30 minutes. Still, they believed in themselves at the end and came away with yet another lucky Clásico draw as they did the last time out in the Apertura.

Impressive today: Double goalscorer Diego Polenta led his team throughout the 90 minutes and fully convinced. On the other side, it was the Novick's that proved decisive in Peñarol's comeback.

With three games left in the season, Peñarol stay on top for now, awaiting Plaza Colonia's match against Sud América. With a win, the outsiders can leapfrog both of the big teams. However, Nacional will have to hope for both of them to drop points eventually to have a chance of winning the Clausura title.

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Peñarol take on Nacional in Clásico Uruguayo

A ground-breaking game for both teams is what it is all about in this season's Clásico Uruguayo. Yesterday, the visitors celebrated their 117th birthday

Key man on Sunday: Seba Fernández has never lost a Clásico. (Photo: tenfield.com.uy)

When Peñarol play against Nacional, a ton of pride and bragging rights will always be on the line, seperating the country in two halves. This time around, the game is being played in week 12 of the Clausura and has significant influence on the title. Both teams are currently seperated by just two points, so it is a winner takes the league lead situation (Plaza Colonia can interfere with that plan). 

In recent weeks, the two clubs have both done their homework quite well in the league (see infographic below), Peñarol is on a four-game winning streak, while Nacional has not lost in five. One series has to end on Sunday afternoon at the Estadio Centenario (8:30pm CET).

https://sporticos.com/en/2016-05-15/194777-match-ca-penarol-vs-club-nacional-de-football

Going into the game, Nacional has the well-known and probably best trouble surrounding them: Success. Their road to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals means that the Clásico is scheduled inbetween big international games for the first time in quite a while. Injuries come along with it, as top striker Nico López will miss the rivals clash. Not only because of López' absence, Sebastián Fernández will play a key role in Nacional's attempt to get all three points. So far, the former Uruguayan international has not lost a single Clásico he played in. 

Coach Gustavo Munúa cannot afford to rotate in the biggest game of the season, since all hell would break loose from the supporters should they lose this one with a B squad. Whoever is able to play (Romero and Ramírez were doubtful too after taking several knocks on Thursday) will be in the starting XI. Leo Gamalho and Christian Tabó were named prime options to replace López and Ramírez.

Peñarol on the other hand do not have any international distractions anymore and can concentrate fully on the league. While they would probably prefer something else, it does help them, shown by their recent success. Admittedly, their playing style did not convince and the opponents were not exactly the elite in Uruguay either. Their real challenge comes on Sunday. Diego Forlán will most likely start for the yellow and black, after being demoted to the bench for the first half in the win over Villa Teresa. When he came on, things started to go Peñarol's way. 

Despite the completely different preparations towards this game, it would surprise anyone if we did not get a close affair on Sunday as well. Betting companies such as bwin see Peñarol as favourite nevertheless, with odds of 1.83. A Nacional win would multiply your stake by 4.

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Statistical overview of Nacional vs Boca

Last night, the first impressions after Nacional vs Boca had me talking of a relatively even game in the match report. Just how even was it exactly and what can be expected for the second leg in a week's time?

When taking a look at the statistical overview from last night, we can see that our first impression was surely not a wrong one. Even possession for the most part, even shots on goal fired by both teams. Just accuracy-wise, Nacional had the slight edge. Boca's one shot on goal from Frank Fabri actually found the back of the net.

https://sporticos.com/en/2016-05-12/191869-match-club-nacional-de-football-vs-boca-juniors

 

Boca's large amount of 26 fouls came together in the first half predominantly. Especially during the first half hour, the Argentine double winner lacked precision, structure and a strategy from coach Guillermo Schelotto. Admittedly, they got it together eventually then and managed to play a much better second half, in particular during the early stages.

The passing accuracy of both teams was not far from one another either. Nacional's players managed to get 78% of their passes to a teammate, whereas Boca reached a final number of 81%. 

A player that stepped up offensively in Nico López' early absence due to injury was Sebastián Fernández, who has been in good form lately. He not only collected the largest amount of shots for the Uruguayans, but also managed to score the equalizer with a lovely turnaround shot.

Overall, there are not many facts that would indicate a much different game at the Bombonera next week. Boca has one huge advantage though: They can save energy and their key players will get rest in the league, which is already over for the club. Whether they win or lose does not matter anymore. Nacional on the other hand have the biggest game of their season sandwiched between the Copa Libertadores quarterfinal legs as they welcome Peñarol at the Centenario.

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Nacional and Boca draw in exciting clash

It was a big night for Nacional and Boca Juniors. In Montevideo's iconic Gran Parque Central, Uruguay's champion hosted their Argentine counterparts. Boca went into the game unbeaten in the competition so far, but not really in form either. Nacional had lost one game that did not matter anymore previously. Could it be anything less than a great one?

Gran Parque Central pre-game crowd.

Personnel

Nacional made no changes from their previous Copa Libertadores game against Corinthians. Nico López was indeed healthy to play after taking a little knock in the league the past weekend. 

On the other side, the visitors made one change from their 3-1 win over Cerro Porteño as regular Gino Peruzzi replaced Cristian Erbes. 

First half

No chance for Carlos Tévez against Mauricio Victorino. (Photo: Ovación)

The first half did not let us wait long with the first opportunity as Mauricio Victorino's header was not dangerous enough two minutes in. Nacional were aggressive in midfield duels from the get-go and decided many 50/50 battles for themselves in that way. Around Boca's area, a lot of set pieces brought the potential for danger, but were not used accordingly.

Nacional's best chance came in the 22nd minute, a shot from Jorge Fucile that sailed towards the inside of the right post, but Orión got over to make the save. About half an hour into the game, Boca tried to implement a little more structure into their attacks instead of hitting long balls and hoping for the best. It did not work amazingly right away either, but after 33 minutes it was Gino Peruzzi collecting Boca's best opportunity with a shot from distance himself. The defender fired it just wide.

In the 38th minute, Nico López' day was over already. Sadly, his injury seemed to have re-aggravated. Coach Gustavo Munúa had to replace the striker with Christian Tabó. Despite the loss of their season's best man, Nacional kept threatening down the wings and produced an opportunity through a Ramírez header shortly before halftime.

Second half

Boca Juniors came out much better for the second 45 minutes than they did when the game started. A lot more possession made them get closer to the final third and push Nacional back a little at the beginning. Halftime substitute Chávez had their best chance as he hit the side netting. On the other side Nacional finally reached the second half with a huge chance after 55 minutes. Following a freekick, they failed to get the ball across the line on multiple occasions through Fernández, Romero and captain Polenta.

A relatively even game developed, with decent looks on both sides, but without the cutting edge chances, Tabó's shot into the side netting was the highlight until minute 70. Right there, the visitors took the lead. After Carlos Tévez held up Fucile in the penalty area, the right-back could not reach the run of Frank Fabra. Fabra's finish was great though and gave Boca the all-important away goal.

Instead of being in shock, Nacional countered not too long after. 76 minutes in, it was Sebastián Fernández using the confusion in Boca's penalty area to his advantage. After a corner from the left side, Ramírez header back could not be cleared and reached Fernández, whose turnaround shot was an absolute bullet and hit the back of the net for the equalizer.

Just two minutes later, Nacional could have won the game as they produced another chance from a corner, but it went just wide of the far post. Chance-wise that was all that happened until the end, where both coaches preferred to take time of the clock with their respective substitutions.

Analysis

A pretty even game ended with a pretty even result: 1-1 was the fulltime score between Nacional and Boca Juniors. Obviously, the away goal gives an advantage to the Argentines, but Nacional showed they can score goals and get a result away from home in the 2-2 draw with Corinthians that brought them to this stage.

Good tonight: Victorino and Polenta were very convincing throughout the game, making Tévez disappear for the largest part of 90 minutes.

Overall, it was an exciting game to watch, even if there was some chancelessness at times. Definitely worthy of a quarterfinal.

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