The race is strong again in the cup: the visit to Ocas was won by CONMEBOL Libertadores

Without a great night of football, but being solid, pushy and a winning personality, Racing Club achieved a very important victory in Ecuador by defeating Ocas 2-1 in the climax of Quito. Thus, Fernando Gago’s team established itself as the first in Group A the CONMEBOL Libertadoreswith three wins and a draw, closer to the first goal to reach the round of 16.

From the locker room, the academy started with an advantage. Two minutes into the game, after a shot into the area from the right by Facundo Moura, the ball reached Nicolás Rineiro, who crossed and volleyed into the far corner and it was Blanquechelli’s celebration on Ecuadorian soil.

Without having too much possession of the ball, as was intended, Racing kept the initial lead thanks to Gabriel Arias. The No. 1 hit a very dangerous ball, and right after the half-hour mark on goal, Luis Kanga curled him flawlessly into a free-kick and the Chilean goalkeeper saved his goal again. The ball hit the left post, cleared it, hit the crossbar and was made a tremendous save. He sought medical help immediately, but he recovered and remained strong.

The match, officiated by Bolivian Jerry Vargas, forced the Quito team to go out and look for the score, both for being homegrown and for being backwards on the scoreboard from the start. But despite their desire, the group led by Venezuelan Cesar Farias lacked the clarity to reach the goal, beyond some of the situations it generated.

And just as the homeowner was looking for the most, Avellaneda’s team’s second goal arrived. A great entry by Gabriel Rojas, who scored his second goal for Racing, and an even better finish for the defender after 69 minutes, gave Gago and his company more confidence. It was a blow to the cold water for the Aucas fans, who cheered and tried to push their players any way they could. The opponent came in extra time after a wonderful free kick goal by Romulo Otero.

The two had met before at Cilindro de Avellaneda, on a night that had everything. Many goals, dismissals, disagreements and even a strong cross between Farias and Jago, but it was the Argentine team that won 3-2.

And the academy had come to this match for almost 10 days without playing, because the match with Velez Sarsfield, for the league championship, was stopped due to the death of Hernan Manrique last Friday. He once again compared his run in the domestic championship to his big stint in the cup.

For his part, Farias decided to take care of his best players, because to backfire in Quito would be difficult in the Libertadores. The outcome of this match was very important to the aspirations of both Ecuadorians and now the Ecuadoreans, with only three points in four dates, can no longer count on themselves to try to qualify for the next stage.

For those led by Gago, these new victories put them close to qualifying for the last 16 or even a guaranteed place, if Flamengo defeat Nublense on Wednesday. And so Racing added six away matches in the Libertadores without knowing defeat. With so much attitude, he adds, he continues and wakes up excited.