Universidad de Chile, which had been out of the Libertadores for seven years, beat Botafogo in its debut in the competition.
Current champion Botafogo lost to Universidad de Chile 1-0 this Wednesday (2/4), in the first round of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, at the National Stadium of Chile. The winning goal came in the second half, scored by Di Yorio. In the next round, Botafogo will host Carabobo-VEN, at Nilton Santos. On the same day, Universidad de Chile will travel to face Estudiantes-ARG.
Botafogo started the match with an offensive stance, but lacked passing in attack. Universidad de Chile, the first time it took the lead, almost opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Altamirano got the ball at the edge of the area, but kicked it over the goal line.
The team from Rio continued to dominate possession, but only managed to create any danger in the 27th minute. Igor Jesus was released into the area and shot straight at goalkeeper Castellón.
Botafogo continued to attack and almost scored in the 39th minute. Santi Rodríguez took advantage of a cross and sent it towards goal, but Castellón made the save. Thus, the match remained tied until half-time. In the second half, Universidad de Chile improved, but Botafogo still had more possession. However, the home team took advantage of the spaces left by the black and whites to open the scoring in the 14th minute. Di Yorio received a pass in the area and passed it to John, leaving him with no chance. The setback was felt by Botafogo.
So much so that Universidad de Chile began to control the match. The home team arrived with quality in the 26th minute, when Poblete took advantage of a cross, but headed it into John’s hand. Little by little, the Rio team improved and balanced the match. Even so, Botafogo continued to make many mistakes in the offensive sector. In the final part, Universidad de Chile managed to keep possession of the ball and prevented any pressure from Botafogo. To make matters worse, striker Igor Jesus was sent off in injury time.
