If Tolima deserved to beat Flamengo eight days ago in Ibagué and the poor definition did not allow it, this time the Brazilians took it all out.
The rubronegro team thrashed those led by Hernán Torres 7-1 and eliminated them from the Copa Libertadores. Now, Flamengo will face Corinthians, who on Tuesday eliminated Boca Juniors in shots from the penalty spot.
Colombia was left without representatives in the Conmebol tournaments, after the defeat in the Maracaná and the loss of Cali in the Sudamericana against Melgar, and Tolima suffered the worst defeat of a Colombian team in this tournament.
The illusion of Tolima, who needed to win by two goals difference to aspire to the quarterfinals, ended very quickly. The team couldn’t stand the pressure and after 5 minutes they were already losing 1-0, with a touch that left the visiting defenders standing and Pedro ready to win with a shot across goalkeeper William Cuesta.
A minute after the goal, Jonathan Marulanda took the ball out of the line in a play very similar to the 1-0 and Tolima was coming to the night. And even bad luck took its toll on the Colombian team: after 20 minutes, Cuesta had a great save, but the ball, on a rebound, hit Julián Quiñones and went into the goal.
Flamengo did not even let Tolima breathe after the break. Barely a minute and a half went by when the Brazilians scored again on the red-and-gold from above, as happened in the final against Nacional: after a corner kick, the experienced David Luiz lowered the ball with his head and Pedro returned it to put in.
After a clearance by Thiago Maia, Gabigol hooked on the edge of the area and finished off to score 4-0, at 11 minutes of the second stage, and Tolima was already resigned. In fact, from the first half, when he received the second, coach Hernán Torres made a substitution to avoid being thrashed, Cristian Trujillo for Daniel Cataño. He didn’t get out.
Tolima’s discount, scored by Julián Quiñones after a rebound from a corner kick, at 18, was just an oasis in the midst of the Colombian disaster this Wednesday. Four minutes later, Pedro scored again after an assist from Rodinei.
In the last minutes, Flamengo took advantage of the spaces and Tolima’s resignation. Matheus Franca made it 6-1, after an assist from Pedro, and then came the latter’s poker, at 79.
Tolima had received much applause for having been the first Colombian to reach the quarterfinals of the Libertadores since 2018. Unfortunately, Flamengo’s landing leaves Colombian professional football in a very bad place once again.
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