- Estudiantes and Universidad Católica drew in La Plata in the first leg of their CONMEBOL Libertadores Round of 16 tie.
- The series will be decided next Tuesday in Santiago de Chile, where the ‘Cruzados’ have kept clean sheets in their last two matches.
‘El Pincha’ and the Chilean side played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie on the road to Eternal Glory. Youngster Joaquín Tobio Burgos, Estudiantes’ most threatening player, gave the hosts the lead, before Fernando Zampedri levelled the score when the result appeared all but settled.
Alexander Medina’s side came out with conviction and a clear determination to take control of the match from the opening whistle. That aggressive approach paid off almost immediately, as Estudiantes broke the deadlock just three minutes into the first half.
Tobio Burgos, born in Chascomús and a product of the La Plata club’s academy, reacted quickest to a rebound inside the area following a long-range effort from Fabricio Pérez. Opportunism, a striker’s instinct and plenty of self-belief allowed the 21-year-old forward to score his first goal in international competition, on a night he will remember for the rest of his life.
Rather than opening the game up, the goal led to an increasingly physical contest, with much of the battle taking place in midfield. Clear-cut chances were scarce amid intense pressing from both sides. It was from that same aggressive approach that Estudiantes captain Guido Carrillo fashioned an opportunity, attempting to catch Chilean goalkeeper Vicente Bernedo off guard from 30 metres, but his effort lacked accuracy.
At the start of the second half, ‘El León’ squandered a golden opportunity to double their lead, this time reversing the combination that had produced the opening goal. Tobio Burgos, operating from the left, picked out Pérez, who was unable to make contact from close range with the goal at his mercy, denying the thousands of fans inside Estadio UNO the chance to celebrate again.
After that opportunity, the match settled into a pattern similar to the closing stages of the first half. Daniel Garnero’s Católica remained compact and combative, looking to threaten on the counterattack, while Estudiantes patiently controlled possession without creating significant danger for the visitors.
Just as the match appeared to be heading towards an Estudiantes victory, the Chilean side’s hero in this CONMEBOL Libertadores campaign stepped up once again: the evergreen Zampedri. The Argentine striker drifted out to the left, received the ball from Justo Giani and, despite being closed down by two defenders, improvised a shot that took a deflection off Santiago Núñez and found its way inside the far post of Fernando Muslera’s goal.
‘El Toro’, who was booked and will miss the return leg, scored his fourth goal of the current edition on the road to Eternal Glory and moved into first place among Universidad Católica's all-time leading scorers in CONMEBOL competitions.
The second leg will be played next Tuesday at Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo, with the winner advancing to the Quarter-finals to face the side that progresses from the tie between Rosario Central and Corinthians.
The match in numbers:
- Fernando Zampedri (Universidad Católica) reached 19 goals in CONMEBOL competitions with the 'Cruzados', moving ahead of Alberto “Beto” Acosta (18) as the club's all-time leading scorer in the tournaments.
- Estudiantes opened the scoring at 03:18, registering the second-quickest goal scored by the 'Pincha' in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, at least since 2013. The fastest was Lucas Piovi's goal against another Chilean side, Universidad de Chile, last year (02:27).
- This was Estudiantes' first draw against a Chilean club in CONMEBOL competitions when playing at home. Prior to this, they had recorded six wins and three defeats in nine matches.
- Estudiantes did not allow Universidad Católica a single shot on target in the first half. It was only the second time a team had prevented the Chilean side from registering a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes of the current CONMEBOL Libertadores. The previous occasion was Boca Juniors, in their 2-1 defeat.
- At 21 years and 241 days old, Joaquín Tobio Burgos became the youngest Estudiantes player to score in a decisive CONMEBOL Libertadores match since Franco Zapiola against Fortaleza in the Round of 16, aged 21 years and 139 days.
- Joaquín Tobio Burgos' goal came after six passes, making it Estudiantes' most elaborately constructed goal of the current CONMEBOL Libertadores.
