It's not a myth. Height matters, a lot. Let those on the Flamengo team say it, who last week brought oxygen tanks to Bogotá, 2,600 meters closer to the stars. Millonarios will approach another thousand this Thursday: they will play in La Paz, against a surprising Bolívar, in their second match in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores (5 pm, with TV signal from ESPN and Star+).
Their rivals will not only be the lack of air and a ball that hits differently, but also a team that has been doing serious and silent work, which already reached the quarterfinals last year, leaving Athletico Paranaense out in the round of 16, and that In this edition he gave a very strong warning by beating Palestino 0-4 as a visitor.
In the Bolívar bank there is a man with a blue past. Their coach is the Argentine Flavio Robatto, who was in Millonarios as assistant to the Uruguayan Rubén Israel, and who also had steps in Colombian soccer for Cúcuta (2017), Jaguares (2018) and Huila (2020).
Flavio Robatto, coach of Bolívar de La Paz.
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“It is a fundamental game for us, so far this year it is the most important game. It is the one that would allow us to take a big step (in the Cup),” declared Robatto, who is not confident about the victory with which his participation in the tournament began. “We have to be clear about what things can happen. We may be at a disadvantage at some point in the game and in the mental part we have to know how to resolve that situation,” he added.
Bolívar is a team that, in addition, is the base of the Bolivian team (eight of its members have been regularly called up in the current tie) and also trusts in the scoring power of the Brazilian Francisco da Costa, who returned to the club after a spell without cold or heat for Atlético Nacional in the first half of last year.
Francisco da Costa (left)
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Gamero already knows the experience of playing at altitude. He did it as a footballer, against the same rival, in the 1989 Copa Libertadores, in which they met in the round of 16. Bolívar won 1-0 at Hernando Siles and lost 3-2 at El Campín. Millos won on penalties.
Already as blue coach, Samario defined the first phase series of Sudamericana against Always Ready in 2020 in that same stadium, whom he had beaten comfortably in Bogotá (2-0). There it was a 1-0 full of suffering and with goalkeeper Wuilker Faríñez as a figure.
Millionaires vs. Always Ready, in the 2020 Sudamericana.
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Millonarios continues to fight injuries
And Millionaires? After a long
week of work, the team continues to fight against injuries, which have already taken away several important pieces at the start of the Libertadores.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Deputy Editor
@josasc
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