Vasco Da Gama
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1 - 1
This match has ended. Upcoming related matches:
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Universidad De Chile
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Vasco da Gama vs Universidad de Chile Live Streams and TV Channels
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| United States | FOX Deportes |
| Other Countries | |
| Italy | Sky Sport 1 Italia |
| United Kingdom | Premier Sports |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | |
Vasco da Gama vs Universidad de Chile Delayed and Repeat Broadcasts
| Country | Date/Time (US/Eastern) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Sat, Nov 26 2:30am | Setanta Sports Australia |
| United Kingdom | Fri, Nov 25 21:00pm | Setanta Sports 1 |
| Mon, Nov 28 1:00am | Setanta Sports 1 | |
| Mon, Nov 28 5:30am | Setanta Sports 1 | |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | ||
Vasco Da Gama vs Universidad De Chile Match Preview
Vasco da Gama will be eager to inflict a first defeat upon Universidad de Chile in the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.
Vasco's greatest strength lies in their attack
Vasco, who are still on track to win the Brazilian championship with two matches left to play against crosstown rivals Fluminense and Flamengo, have without any doubt the best attack of the Copa Sudamericana, however, their defense leaves a lot to be desired.
Cristovao Borges, the coach of Vasco, has discarded all possibilities of fielding a reserve side against the Chileans, as he will confront the semi-final with his strongest team possible, which includes top-quality defender and regular goal-scorer Dede, as well as skillful midfielders and dead-ball specialists Juninho Pernambucano and Felipe.
Vasco will be without key player Diego Souza, who was sent off against Universitario de Deportes, but he will be replaced by an outstanding young talent in Bernardo. Striker Eder Luis will also miss the match due to undergoing surgery, and his vacancy will be occupied by either Leandro or Alecsandro.
Universidad de Chile, who crushed Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina 5-1 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals, arrived in Rio de Janeiro without any setbacks as the entire squad will be at the disposal of Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli. On the weekend Sampaoli rested several of his key players in the Chilean league derby against Universidad Catolica in order to keep them fresh for the vital clash with Vasco. Universidad de Chile fought out a goalless draw with their rivals in that match.
Like Vasco, Universidad count with a formidable attack that have scored several goals in the competition, but perhaps their greatest strength is their defense, which has only conceded a single goal in the entire competition.
On their way to the semi-finals Universidad de Chile eliminated both Fenix and Nacional of Uruguay, Flamengo of Brazil and as mentioned Arsenal of Argentina. In this process the Chileans didn't lose a single match.
Due to the amount of talent both teams possess in their distinctive attacks, it is expected to be a very high-scoring affair. Vasco will be looking to take a comfortable advantage into the return leg of the semi-final in Santiago, but although they have the firepower to achieve this they must make sure that their leaky defense isn't exposed by the eager Chileans.
Vasco Da Gama vs Universidad De Chile Match Report
Vasco da Gama and Universidad de Chile fought out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.
Vasco couldn't hold onto their one-goal advantage
Vasco pushed to the attack immediately from the kick-off as they searched for an early opener against the Chileans. With versatile attacking soccer on display, the Brazilians created several good goal-scoring opportunities, but they were continually kept out by Universidad goalkeeper Johnny Herrera, who was in fine form.
Juninho Pernambucano pulled the strings in the Vasco midfield, orchestrating his side's best attacking moves, while Felipe, Allan and Bernardo looked extremely dangerous each time they moved to the attack. After Elton struck the woodwork for Vasco it seemed that at any moment the Brazilians would go ahead.
After piling heavy pressure on the visiting goal, Bernardo finally opened the scoring for Vasco in the 32nd minute, when he latched onto a rebound from the Universidad defense and beat Herrera with a crossed shot on the turn.
In the second period Vasco faded somewhat, allowing the Chileans to take the game to them. Jorge Sampaoli's side were much more ambitious than in the first forty-five minutes as they did their utmost to draw level.
Eduardo Vargas was Universidad's main danger-man, while Matias Rodriguez and Marcelo Diaz also contributed in their progression. The Chileans dominated their opponents with confident one-touch soccer, and caused danger each time they moved to the attack from the flanks.
La 'U' were rewarded for their approach twelve minutes from full-time, when Osvaldo Gonzalez connected to a Marcelo Diaz free-kick with a backward header to draw them level.
After conceding the equaliser, Vasco had no option but to push forward in numbers as they searched for a late winner, but despite coming close to finding the goal through Alecsandro, Universidad could also have snatched the victory on the counterattack.
While Vasco will be disappointed with the draw, the result puts Universidad de Chile in a commanding position to confront the return leg of the semi-final in Santiago next week.