Fluminense from Rio de Janeiro won its first South American Cup Winners' Cup by beating Liga de Quito 2-0 this Thursday at the Maracanáhis great international nemesis.
The 'Flu' turned the series around (they lost 1-0 in Ecuador last week) with two scores by Colombian attacker Jhon Arias (76 and 90, from a penalty), in the second leg final of the competition that pits the champions of the main club tournaments in South America against each other.
“Happy for the goal, happy for contributing to winning this title and now to enjoy because it is a title that includes everything we did last year. It is the conclusion of that conquest of the Copa Libertadores” of 2023, said the former Patriotas, Llaneros, América and Santa Fe player,
The men led by former Brazilian coach Fernando Diniz took revenge on the rival, winner of the last South American competition, who deprived them of their first international trophies.
They did it by turning the series around in extremis and with one man less, after the expulsion of attacker John Kennedy (79), scorer of the cup title goal against Boca Juniors, for a hard foul against midfielder Óscar Zambrano.
This was the two goals by Jhon Arias
Fluminense was rewarded through a weapon that at times seemed to be abused: the centers. Samuel Xavier raised a ball from the right and Arias entered alone to head it to Domínguez's far post.
The joy, however, was bittersweet, as they lost a man for the final stretch of the game: John Kennedy.
Despite their numerical inferiority, they continued searching the opposite area until they found the treasure. After a pass from Douglas Costa, Renato Augusto entered the 18. Midfielder Jefferson Valverde ran over him and the judge gave a penalty. Arias, coldly, charged high, to the right of Domínguez, who guessed the direction but could do nothing in the face of a shot with triple value: goal, title and revenge.
“It is a well-deserved victory for a team that always had the courage to play, both here and there,” said Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz.
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With AFP
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