Independiente del Valle beat São Paulo 2-0 this Saturday in the only final of the Copa Sudamericana 2022, securing a second championship in the competition since 2019.

Argentinian striker Lautaro Díaz opened the scoreboard in the 12th minute before his compatriot Lorenzo Faravelli finished off a brilliant performance in the 66th minute that led to the signing of Junior Sornoza and Díaz.

The final of the twenty-first edition of the tournament was held at the Mario Alberto Campos Stadium in Córdoba, Argentina.

How much money will Independiente del Valle get with the 2022 Copa Sudamericana title?

With a range of titles such as the Libertadores, Intercontinental Cup, Recopa Sudamericana and Club World Cup, São Paulo is the favorite on paper, although its return to the competition in 2021 has not been popular due to the setback in its country’s championship. .

Independiente del Valle prevailed against a Brazilian cast that could not find a formula to react, apart from isolated attacks by Argentine attacker Jonathan Galleri.

Sangolqui’s cast is healing the battle wound left by Copa Libertadores 2022, where it was eliminated in the group stage.

Ecuadorian clubs have an advantage over Brazilians in CONMEBOL competition benchmarks

The South American is the perfect solution for the 2016 Libertadores finalists from Valle.

He has also sent other greats like Independiente de Avellaneda and Flamengo into a rage, earning him the nickname ‘Giant Killer’.

With a win over Independiente del Valle this Saturday, Ecuador will clinch its third title in South American Cup history.

Summary of Sao Paulo FC vs. Valley Freedom

The teams took to the field seven minutes before kick-off. Despite almost half the stadium being empty, Brazil’s chants turned into shock.

After songs first by Brazil and then by Ecuador, the game started at 5:00 pm local time (3:00 pm Ecuadorian time).

Sao Paulo tried at the start to attack on the left side. In the first minutes, the Ecuadorians defended themselves and when they received the ball, they took care of the short and precise passes that characterize the team led by Argentinean Martin Anselmi.

On 10 minutes, Lautaro Díaz was the architect of the first shot on goal, but Felipe Alves deflected the ball for a corner kick.

Diaz himself made it 0-1 three minutes later when he received an assist from Lorenzo Faravelli and fired hard at the near post.

The goal silenced the Brazilians for a few minutes and the few Ecuadorians present made themselves heard.

At 16, Jonathan Galleri could have equalized, but his shot was too slow and Welington Ramirez controlled it with no problem.

On the next play, a shot by junior Sornoza hit the post.

At the age of 28, Galleri again squandered a great chance: the striker took a quick dribble past the goalkeeper, but the ball ended with a left foot.

Apart from Galerie’s isolated forays, the Independiente del Valle had no great difficulty in controlling a rival who, minute by minute, looked increasingly tense and short of ideas.

Sao Paulo’s best partner centers in the first moments of the second half.

Brazil began to win easily, but Galleri or Luciano were unable to convert crosses into goals.

On 55 minutes, Diaz collided with Felipe Alves outside the area and had to be treated by doctors to continue.

It didn’t take long for Independiente del Valle to regain possession with short passes.

On 67 minutes, Díaz, the man of the match, assisted Faravelli, who faced the unmarked goalkeeper and calmly made it 0-2.

At 72, Diaz retired with an injury and was replaced by Julio Ortiz.

After a while, the Brazilian fans were already watching their team anxiously, while the Ecuadorian players shouted “ole” every time their team made a pass.

The last 15 minutes passed smoothly: Sao Paulo overflows and the race continued in the centers and the Ecuadorians recovered the ball every time.

In extra time, Galleri and Diego Costa were sent off.

With this win, Independiente del Valle won their second Copa Sudamericana trophy.

The first came in 2019 in Asuncion, Paraguay, beating Argentina’s Colon 3-1.

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