Rosario Central beats Inter in first playoff match

The winner of the match will face Fortaleza in the round of 16 of the South American Championship. Inter entered the competition after finishing second in Group C in Sola, while Rosario finished third in Group G in the Libertadores.

How was the game?

The first 45 minutes were balanced, but few chances were created. Each team had a clear chance to score: first Bruno Henrique looked for the corner for Inter, then Martinez stopped Roche’s defence in an attempt from Rosario Central. The partial draw was fair considering what was on the pitch.

The Argentines were upset. In the final period of the first half, Wesley Ibarra faced a dangerous challenge that left his opponent in pain. The Brazilian was shown a yellow card, but the home team complained loudly and demanded that he be sent off. A few minutes later, Wesley’s strong challenge on Mallo, who was not cautioned, ended the matter.

Former Gremio leaves Rosario in the lead. The second half started well for the home side, with Campas scoring after five minutes of pressure. The move was marked by a mistake by Romulo, who looked calm enough to control the ball, but lost control high up the pitch and left his opponents plenty of space to attack and score.

More confusion. Wesley was running near the touchline when Jonathan Gomez pushed him. The Argentine ended up hitting the Colorado player in the dugout area, which is one level below the pitch. The move earned Gomez only a yellow card, but it sparked a commotion among the players and the referee. The Chilean referee was still listening to the Gauchos after the final whistle of the short extra time.