Sao Paulo: Emerson’s two goals after half time were enough to see off Boca Juniors at the Pacaembu. Corinthians dominated ball possession for the majority of the match, as the Brazilians looked the more adventurous of the two sides and deservedly claimed their first-ever Copa Libertadores title.
Despite looking more threatening, the Sao Paulo side went into the break tied with its Buenos Aires counterparts. However, following the break, Emerson struck twice to win the game for the Timao. The 33-year-old scored a well-taken half volley after a wonderful assist from Danilo, before coolly slotting under substitute goalkeeper, Sebastian Sosa, after collecting a misplaced Rolando Schiavi pass.
On the half hour mark, the visitors suffered a blow to their chances as Agustin Orion’s knee injury forced Julio Falcioni to replace his regular number one with reserve goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa.
Following the half time interval, Corinthians continued to press, as Emerson and Paulinho began to influence the game and create openings. Just 20 seconds into the second half, Emerson tested Sosa from the right wing as he played a dangerous ball into the 6-yard box, bringing a good save from the substitute stopper.
However, he did not have to wait long to finally break the deadlock. In the 54thminute, Alex’s freekick from the right flank was flicked-on inside the box by Jorge Henrique towards Danilo. As the ball fell inside the area, Danilo skillfully back-heeled the bouncing ball to Emerson, who took the pass in his stride and struck past Sosa on the half volley to score the ever-important first goal.
With less than 20 minutes to play, Emerson doubled Corinthians’ advantage. The Qatari international capitalised on Rolando Schiavi’s horrible mistake, collecting his loose pass across the pitch before running one-on-one with Sebastian Sosa and slotting the ball into the far corner to score his fifth goal of the tournament and confirm victory for the Brazilians.
Corinthians has now qualified for the FIFA Club World Club Championships which will take place in December in Japan.
BDST: 1302 HRS, July 5, 2012
Edited by
Chanchal Ghosh, Newsroom Editor
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