Banfield take slim advantage

Image by WikiMapa via Flickr

Banfield took an important step towards the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 as they saw off fellow Argentinian side Velez Sarsfield 1-0 as visitors on Thursday.


On a rainy night in Buenos Aires, Cristian Garcia scored the only goal of the match in the 30th minute, giving them a crucial edge going into their home leg. Velez, meanwhile, played with some reserves as coach Ricardo Gareca is looking forward to the home league game against leaders River Plate on Sunday.

After the goal, Banfield goalkeeper Enrique Bologna became the man of the match by saving a number of opportunities from Velez players Ricardo Alvarez and Juan Manuel Martinez. Bologna told Fox Sports: "The pitch was very difficult to play. It was hard for me to catch the ball. "Anyway, we are happy because we won in a very important stadium and now we can make it into the next round at home."

Meanwhile in Asuncion, Uruguay's Defensor Sporting eliminated Paraguayan giants Olimpia with a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco. The 2-0 home win in Montevideo in the first leg helped Pablo Repetto's team clinch the qualification with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Rodrigo Mora gave Defensor the lead with an individual effort six minutes after the interval, while Juan Carlos Ferreyra equalised five minutes before the final whistle. "It was a difficult, even match on a fast pitch. We wanted to win, but the draw is helpful anyway," said Mora.

The winner of the Banfield and Velez Sarsfield tie will meet Colombia's Tolima or Bolivian side Oriente Petrolero. Defensor will play Sport Huancayo of Peru in the next round.