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| Thursday, July 18, 2002 17:35 EST |
Paraguayan club will meet Brazil's Sao Caetano for title
[Reuters]
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ten-man Olimpia won a
controversial penalty shootout 5-4 against Gremio of Brazil late Wednesday to
reach its sixth Libertadores Cup final.
The Paraguayan side will next meet Brazil's Sao Caetano, who
reached its first final at the first attempt after eliminating
America of Mexico 3-1 on aggregate on Tuesday.
The final will be played over two legs on July 24 in
Asuncion and 31 in Sao Paulo.
The match was held up for 20 minutes during the shootout
after Argentine referee Daniel Gimenez ordered Olimpia striker
Mauro Caballero to take his penalty again, ruling that Gremio
goalkeeper Eduardo had advanced early when he saved the shot.
Gremio officials went on to the pitch to protest the
decision and police had to intervene to restore order.
Olimpia goalkeeper Ricardo Tavarelli saved Fernando's spot
kick for Gremio and substitute Juan Carlos Franco converted to
send the club into the final.
The Paraguayan side, who had won the first leg 3-2 in
Asuncion, went down 1-0 in Porto Alegre to a 45th-minute goal
from Zinho.
Olimpia, coached by Argentina's 1986 World Cup-winning
goalkeeper Nery Pumpido, was a man short for the last half hour
after midfielder Victor Quintana was sent off for a violent
foul.
But with Tavarelli making a string of fine saves the team hung
on to take the match, deadlocked at 3-3 on aggregate, into a
shootout. There is no extra time in the Libertadores Cup.
Sao Caetano overcame the problems of playing at 2,240 meters
above sea level, steady rain and a hostile home crowd to hold
America 1-1 in Mexico City's Azteca stadium on Tuesday.
The Brazilian side, who won the first leg 2-0, stunned the
60,000 crowd by taking the lead after only eight minutes through
Ailton.
America, also eliminated in the 2000 semifinals by Boca
Juniors of Argentina, equalized three minutes after the interval
with a brilliant free kick by midfielder Pavel Pardo.
Olimpia, who is celebrating its centenary this month and
won the trophy in 1979 and 1990, eliminated holders Boca in the
quarterfinals in May.
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