Dominant Fluminense comfortably dispatches America de Cali and qualifies for the quarter-finals of the South American Cup

Fluminense played a very strategic game in the second leg of the South American Cup on Tuesday. Despite playing at Maracanã, Tricolor coach Renato Gaúcho did not want to leave anything to chance and chose to rely on the advantage obtained in the first leg (2-1). The team spent the first half defending from the midfield and allowing the Colombian America de Cali to try to build the plays, resulting in a lack of dangerous actions in the early stages of the game, as the visitors struggled in this aspect. However, the Tricolor took advantage of opportunities on counterattacks with a solid performance from wingers Serna, who opened the scoring in the first half, and Canobbio, who provided the assist for midfielder Martinelli’s goal. In the second half, they capitalized on the increased aggregate score to play on the offensive and put on a show for the fans present, adding to the celebration of goalkeeper Fábio becoming the player with the most games in the history of the sport (1391 matches), surpassing goalkeeper Peter Shilton. In the first half, Renato’s team closed off passing lines for the opponents as soon as they reached the defensive midfield. The strategy began to work towards the middle of the first half. From the right, Fluminense mounted a counterattack with Canobbio, but the winger’s cross was caught by goalkeeper Soto. However, at the 23rd minute, midfielder Hércules delivered a pinpoint pass to left winger Serna, who expertly controlled the ball at the edge of the box, dribbled past the defender, cut inside, and shot past the opposing goalkeeper. Shortly after, the team quickly restarted play after regaining possession and utilized Serna’s speed. The player crossed to Everaldo, who lost control of the ball and shot straight at the goalkeeper. Lima also had a chance to extend the lead in the first half when his free-kick deflected off the wall, beating the goalkeeper but just missing the crossbar. The second half brought a new strategy for the Tricolor team, pressing in attack. The team pressed the visitors and caused trouble from the beginning, setting a more intense pace than in the first half. After a failed attack by Samuel Xavier, America de Cali regained possession, but winger Murillo fell victim to Canobbio’s tackle, who stole the ball and carried it into the box until Martinelli made a run to receive the pass and unleash a powerful shot into the back of the net at the 11th minute. The goal prompted the fans to cheer for the midfielder and chant his name. With the result, the team controlled the dynamics of the game against a Cali side that had already given up and rarely risked for a goal.