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Chivas' Magic Ends In 2-0 Loss At Caracas FC
Caracas FC scored a goal on either side of the intermission and handed Chivas their first loss in Copa Libertadores.
Mar 4, 2009 1:35:28 AM
On Tuesday night, though, Chivas’ unbeaten record in the Copa Libertadores came to halt as Caracas beat Chivas 2-0.
The loss to Caracas dropped Chivas into the second spot in the Group 6 table.
Things stated out well for Chivas. Alberto Medina came up with a good shot in the 15th minute followed by another from Javier "Chicharo" Hernandez three minutes later.
Caracas showed that they too had good form and responded with a play of their own in the 24th that came terribly close to scoring. Two minutes later, Caracas had one of the best chances in the first half when a shot by Rafael Castellin forced Luis Michel to make a spectacular save. By the 35th minute it became more obvious that the Chivas defense was not up to par with the games of previous days. During the same minute Caracas once again came close to scoring.
Finally in the dying moments of the first half Caracas scored a goal that had long avoided them. A corner by Caracas eventually fell to Jaime Bustamante. A tussle in the area led to Michel to make a save first which eventually fell to Bustamante and then into the goal for the 1-0 lead to Caracas.
Coming right into the second half, Caracas once again had another shot. In the 47th minute, Guadalajara native Rodrigo Prieto had received a good pass from Dario Figueroa. Prieto’s one on one against Michel came to a stop when the Chivas goalkeeper stopped a sure goal.
Unfortunately for Chivas in the 50th minute Caracas doubled their lead. Dario Figueroa shot from a tight angle to beat Michel.
Few good shots came to Chivas during the game and it showed when Caracas once again dominated okay in the 86th minute. Again, a Caracas player came up alone against Michel who forced the ball into a corner. Despite the looming loss Chivas fought until the end.
In the 93rd minute Sergio "Gaucho" Avila scored a goal although offside had already been called.
In the end, the hosts worked harder than Chivas, and came away with a just result.
“Caracas jumped higher than us, they adapted better and in positioning the ball they were better,” coach Efrain Flores said after Chivas’ loss. “We needed more creativity to surpass the Caracas defense.”
Chivas will get a chance for revenge when Caracas visits on March 11 at the Jalisco Stadium.
Andrea Martínez, Goal.com
Inside Goal.Com
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