- Juan Pablo Cozzani returned to Platense after his spell in Saudi Arabia and emerged as the hero of the qualification against Coquimbo Unido.
- A key figure in the club’s first-ever Argentine top-flight title, he scored and saved a penalty in the shootout that sent ‘El Calamar’ into the Quarterfinals.
Exactly one year ago, on August 19, 2025, Platense announced two pieces of news that brought mixed emotions. Juan Pablo Cozzani, one of the heroes of the club’s Argentine Torneo Apertura triumph, had extended his contract with Platense until 2029, but was also leaving on loan for Al-Kholood Club in the Saudi Pro League. Having played a decisive role in ‘El Calamar’s’ title-winning campaign, it was an opportunity for a goalkeeper who had spent much of his career in Argentina’s lower divisions before making the step up to become Platense’s last line of defence.
Matías Borgogno, then on loan from San Martín de San Juan, was the goalkeeper who initially took on Platense’s CONMEBOL Libertadores challenge. He started all six Group Stage matches during a memorable campaign that saw the side, then coached by Walter Zunino, finish second behind Corinthians and ahead of Peñarol and Santa Fe. Despite his prominent role, however, Borgogno and the club agreed to terminate his loan. He returned to San Martín before heading out on loan once again, this time to Defensa y Justicia.
At the same time, the return of a hero was taking shape. Cozzani, who had been decisive in saving penalties from Houssem Aouar and Moussa Diaby as his Saudi club reached the first King’s Cup final in its history after a semifinal shootout against Al Ittihad, was coming back to the place where he had enjoyed his greatest success. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in which he would further enhance his status at a club where he is already regarded as one of the defining figures of its modern history.
Cozzani had been instrumental in Platense’s journey to the first title in the club’s history, an unforgettable knockout run in which they eliminated Racing Club, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Huracán. His penalty save from Sebastián Driussi at the Estadio Más Monumental remains one of the enduring images of that campaign: “At last, this institution has won the title it deserved so much. Just look at these fans. So many generations waited for this, and they made sure we knew it throughout the week. We stood our ground at the toughest stadiums in the country. Winning a title and qualifying for the CONMEBOL Libertadores were two things that had always eluded this club. Now everyone should enjoy it,” he said after lifting the trophy.
His impact in this new spell quickly took on continental significance. Cozzani had not featured in the Group Stage and made his CONMEBOL Libertadores debut in the 1-1 draw against Coquimbo Unido in Vicente López. One week later, in only his second appearance in the competition, he was presented with the opportunity to guide Platense into yet another unexplored territory.
The second leg demanded patience. Coquimbo Unido looked to make home advantage count, but ‘El Calamar’ defended with discipline and their goalkeeper responded whenever the Chilean side managed to break through the last line. The score remained 0-0 until the final whistle and, after 180 minutes of complete parity, qualification was left in the hands of the penalty takers and goalkeepers.
In Coquimbo, he had to wait for his moment to intervene, through no fault of his own. The first thirteen penalties of the shootout all found the net, with both teams displaying remarkable precision and neither side able to break the deadlock in an exceptionally even contest. Cozzani himself stepped up to take Platense’s sixth penalty and finished with the composure of a striker, driving the ball into the top-left corner. After Martín Barrios made it 7-6, all the pressure shifted onto Salvador Cordero.
The Coquimbo midfielder opted for a low effort, but Cozzani read his intention and made the save. In a matter of seconds, he went from penalty taker to hero between the posts: he had scored to keep his team alive and then saved to send them through.
The performance confirmed an extraordinary trend. Since joining Platense in 2024, Cozzani has taken part in four official penalty shootouts — also including his spell with Al-Kholood — and his team has won every one of them. Across those shootouts, he has saved six penalties and, against Coquimbo Unido, also added his first successful conversion.
Platense, competing in international competition for the first time in their history, are already among the continent’s final eight. Cozzani was not part of the team that began the journey, but he returned in time to become one of the central figures in its most important chapter yet. After playing a key role in the title triumph that opened the door to the CONMEBOL Libertadores, the goalkeeper came back to extend a story that will now continue against Fluminense.
