Five-time Copa Libertadores champions Penarol take a giant step towards the group stage of the competition after hitting four past a miserable Caracas on Thursday.
Uruguayan giants Penarol practically assured themselves of a spot in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores after demolishing Caracas 4-0 in the first leg of the qualification play-off in front of 50,000 fans at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on Thursday.
Penarol, losing finalists of the 2011 competition, completely ripped apart the Venezuelans thanks to goals from Nicolas Freitas, Marcelo Zalayeta, Joao Pedro and Fabian Estoyanoff.
Caracas, who finished the match with ten-men after the late dismissal of Fidel Perez, couldn't find their feet through the length of the encounter, and failed to take advantage of a penalty kick when the match was goalless.
The visitors played as equals at the beginning of the contest and were presented with an ideal opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a 21st minute penalty for a trip in the area.
However, Caracas captain Edgar Jimenez had his powerful effort brilliantly saved by a stretching Fabian Carini in the Penarol goal.
His failure to convert dramatically changed the flow of the match, as Penarol picked up their game and after much pressure finally went ahead in the 35th minute when Freitas took advantage of a series of rebounds in the Caracas area with a powerful shot.
Three minutes later former Juventus striker Zalayeta doubled Penarol's lead when he raced into the area after a defensive error from the Caracas defence and beat goalkeeper Renny Vega with a clinical finish.
The second period was all one-way traffic as an aggressive Penarol completely outplayed their lackluster opponents with dominant attacking soccer.
Caracas couldn't find a way to get back into the game, and in the 63rd minute they were further punished for their miserable showing when Brazilian substitute Joao Pedro poked the ball through an army of Caracas defenders after a horrible mistake from Vega.
Skilful winger Fabian Estoyanoff, who recently returned to Penarol from Greek club Panionios, completed the rout seven minutes later when he was provided with space in the area and fired the ball into the roof of the net.
Penarol, losing finalists of the 2011 competition, completely ripped apart the Venezuelans thanks to goals from Nicolas Freitas, Marcelo Zalayeta, Joao Pedro and Fabian Estoyanoff.
Caracas, who finished the match with ten-men after the late dismissal of Fidel Perez, couldn't find their feet through the length of the encounter, and failed to take advantage of a penalty kick when the match was goalless.
The visitors played as equals at the beginning of the contest and were presented with an ideal opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a 21st minute penalty for a trip in the area.
However, Caracas captain Edgar Jimenez had his powerful effort brilliantly saved by a stretching Fabian Carini in the Penarol goal.
His failure to convert dramatically changed the flow of the match, as Penarol picked up their game and after much pressure finally went ahead in the 35th minute when Freitas took advantage of a series of rebounds in the Caracas area with a powerful shot.
Three minutes later former Juventus striker Zalayeta doubled Penarol's lead when he raced into the area after a defensive error from the Caracas defence and beat goalkeeper Renny Vega with a clinical finish.
The second period was all one-way traffic as an aggressive Penarol completely outplayed their lackluster opponents with dominant attacking soccer.
Caracas couldn't find a way to get back into the game, and in the 63rd minute they were further punished for their miserable showing when Brazilian substitute Joao Pedro poked the ball through an army of Caracas defenders after a horrible mistake from Vega.
Skilful winger Fabian Estoyanoff, who recently returned to Penarol from Greek club Panionios, completed the rout seven minutes later when he was provided with space in the area and fired the ball into the roof of the net.
