Athletico gets a scare, but beats Cerro Porteño and is in the round of 16 of Sula

This Thursday (25), the Athletico-PR received, in League ArenaO Porteño Hill for the second leg of the playoffs South American Cup 2024. Dominant for much of the match, Furacão had a player sent off halfway through the second half and saw qualification come at a higher cost than expected.

The Hurricane showed its imposition from the beginning of the match. Just 3 minutes in, Thomas Cuello crossed into the area and Mastriani He got between the defenders to slide the ball and open the scoring.

Cerro Porteño did not pose much of a threat, but they did come close to scoring Leo Linck in a free kick with a curl towards the goal. The goalkeeper, however, made a safe save in two stages.

In the second half, Furacão extended their lead in the 13th minute, when Cuello took advantage of a rebound from the defense, controlled the ball beautifully on his chest and shot first time. The goalkeeper Martin Arias still touched the ball, but it didn't have enough strength.

A game that seemed to be on track received an extra spice when, halfway through the second half, Athletico's number 10, Zapelli received the second yellow card and left the game. In the very next play, Cerro managed to reduce the deficit with Fernando Fernandezafter crossing of Iturbe.

With the numerical advantage, the Paraguayans advanced their lines and began to try everything to take the dispute to penalties, but the Paraná defense managed to hold the score and guaranteed the club a place in the next phase. Check out some facts about the match:

• Ball possession: Athletico-PR 46% x 54% Cerro Porteño
• Finishes (accurate): Athletico-PR 13 (3); Cerro Porteño 3 (2)
• Fouls committed: Athletico-PR 18 x 11 Cerro Porteño
• Successful passes (%): Athletico-PR 233 (86.9%); Cerro Porteño 274 (88.4%)

Now, Hurricane has the Belgranofrom the Argentinaahead, in matches scheduled for mid and end of August, with no specific dates yet.