Haha. Gabigol off as well.
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Could all kick off at the final whistle.Comment
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Not sure I could have put up with extra time. River Plate lost that, terrible game management.Comment
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Junior and Petkovic on the touchline.Comment
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Respect to the River fans sticking around en masse.Comment
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Just had a look at a couple of Boca Juniors forums. You can imagine the delight.Comment
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Gabigol was sent off for rubbing a water bottle against his crotch towards the River bench?Comment
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As others said, not the most thrilling game from minute 6 or 7 through minute 85. It felt like an MLS game: a bunch of guys running up and down the pitch but nothing really happened. Still, we had some last minute excitement, we avoided extra time which I always appreciate, and we had goals. I have expressed before that if I don't have any teams in the mix I will usually side with whoever isn't from Argentina or Brazil. In general, though, this River side has played some good football during the last few years but I'm glad we have a new champion. There's enough volatility in Brazil that I'd expect we see a rotation among those sides competing for the final but (to repeat something I've said a lot this season) River's dominance has me fearing this recently adopted year-long format. 3/4 of the semi-finalists have been there or thereabouts the past two seasons. I don't think we have any Flamengo fans posting here regularly but if I missed someone, congrats.Comment
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Flamengo round off a pretty good weekend by winning the Brasileirão, courtesy of Grêmio's 2-1 win at Palmeiras.Comment
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It's the final round of the Brasileirão on Sunday and with Flamengo runaway champions, attention turns to the final relegation place to be decided.
Either Ceará or Cruzeiro will be relegated. If it is Cruzeiro, the list of clubs that have never been relegated from Série A will be reduced to just three; Flamengo, São Paulo and Santos. (Chapecoense were also on that list before this season's relegation but they've only spent 6 seasons in the top flight).
Ceará are two points ahead of Cruzeiro and only need a draw away at Botafogo to survive. Cruzeiro are at home to Palmeiras, on paper a much more difficult fixture. Both teams are in dreadful form. Cruzeiro have lost their last 4 games, Ceará have 2 points out of the last 15. I can't see Cruzeiro surviving unless there is some behind the scenes skulduggery.Comment
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I did not have the chance to watch the Apertura final in Colombia or the Copa Colombia (the latter is on my DVR and I'll probably watch tonight since I've been able to avoid a spoiler for that one). But I did watch both legs of the finalizacion (clausura in most leagues). America de Cali beat Junior 2-0 over both legs (winning at home 2-0 in the second leg) to get back to the Libertadores for the first time in a long time. This is one of Colombia's big sides but they had been stuck in the second division for a long time relative to other big clubs in South America that get relegated. This second leg was quite chippy and Junior had a goal ruled out very late in the first half for an off-side call that seemed wrong to me even after multiple VAR angles.
I also plan to watch the 2nd leg 1/2 finals from Ecuador later tonight and tomorrow morning. I assume that final will be mid-week and then next week. LDU Quito is the only traditionally big side remaining in that 1/2 final.Comment
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Ceará drawing against Botafogo and Cruzeiro losing 2-0 at home to Palmeiras.
The game at the Mineirão has been stopped 5 minutes before the end with the players and officials in the centre circle as Cruzeiro fans are smashing up the stadium. Mainly seats being ripped up at the moment but lots of loud bangs as well.Comment
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Ref has decided to end the game early. Players running off the pitch now.
Cruzeiro relegated.Comment
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The electronic scoreboard telling people to evacuate the stadium. Most have done so.
Young kid suffering from effects of tear gas being carried out by his Dad.Comment
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And in other news, champions Flamengo lose 4-0 at Santos who finish worthy runners-up.Comment
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It's always year to year for many South American clubs but Cruzeiro has been solid in the Libertadores and Copa do Brasil winner multiple times in recent years, if I remember correctly. I don't follow closely (esp. since there are no TV rights sold to the US for the first time in nearly two decades), but they seemed somewhat stable compared to some of the other clubs of similar stature (e.g., most of the Rio clubs), Sao Paulo had been a bit of a mess with coaches in recent years. But Internacional also seemed stable and they went down.
I remember seeing the playoff game when River was relegated. The fans did the same thing. I can't understand how they think tearing up the stadium expresses anything. It's not like that action saves the team from relegation or inspires the team to do something. And I assume that 95% of those same fans will show up next year.Comment
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Cruzeiro had assembled a squad that looked capable of challenging in both the Brasileirão and the Libertadores this season. Indeed in the group stage they qualified with ease and only lost to River Plate on penalties in the last 16. Their awful league form was explained away by saying they were concentrating on the Libertadores but once eliminated they got even worse due to a combination of instability, injuries and poor discipline. Just seven wins, 28 goals in 38 matches and four managers during the season tells its own story. The promising Rogério Ceni was appointed and left within weeks after rows with players and directors. The bunch of kids and mediocrities they fielded yesterday would struggle in Série B and Palmeiras were comfortable winners. The team didn't include their top player Thiago Neves suspended by the club for some untimely night club action, and the woefully out of form Fred was left unused on the bench.
Crowd trouble inside the stadium is severely punished in Brazil and Cruzeiro could be looking at a lengthy stadium ban at the start of next season and having to play their home games outside Minas Gerais.Comment
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The Ecuadoran club Mushuc Runa qualified for the Sudamericana in 2019 (first time in the cub's history and knocked out by Union Espanola on penalties). Here is a piece about the club in the most recent issue of the Blizzard:
https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/red-ponchoComment
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