It’s Wednesday night in Sao Paulo and reigning world champions Corinthians are gearing up to make their home debut in this year’s Copa Libertadores against Millonarios of Colombia. Everybody is talking about the match, on the street, in the newspapers, on television, but as kick-off nears closer, the atmosphere around the stadium is rather quiet. Actually, it’s silent.
After the tragic events during last week’s San Jose vs Corinthians match in Oruro, Bolivia which culminated in the death of 14-year-old San Jose fan Kevin Beltrán Espada, Conmebol (South American football’s governing body) ordered Corinthians to play the remainder of their Copa Libertadores home matches behind closed doors.
Usually packed with noisy Corinthians fans, the stands at the Estadio do Pacaembu were empty. Empty, that was, except for four determined corintianos who gained court orders to allow them to attend.
This week the four fans, along with five others who had also bought their tickets in advance, went through the Brazilian public justice system and obtained preliminary injunctions allowing them to exercise their consumer’s rights and enter the stadium which, in this writer’s opinion, seems selfish and frankly disrespectful in the wake of such a tragedy.
Fearing further sanctions from Conmebol, Corinthians’ legal team attempted to reason with the supporters and dissuade them from attending the game, but four of the group stood their ground and turned up at the Pacaembu with their tickets in one hand, and a letter from the courts in the other.
It was then revealed that two of these supporters, Armando and Milton Mendonca, are actually related to Corinthians president Mario Gobbi. Make of that what you will.
The match itself was less eventful. In an atmosphere that resembled a midweek reserves match, Corinthians ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Paolo Guerrero and Alexandre Pato. With Guerrero and Pato starting together for the first time since the latter’s transfer from Milan, Corinthians changed their shape slightly, playing a 4-4-2 with Pato through the middle as a second striker, instead of their usual 4-2-3-1.
Peruvian No 9 Guerrero continues to be the best centre-forward playing in South America by quite some distance, and Pato looked devastating, though he still seems to be holding something back. After more practice playing alongside each other, Corinthians’ front line will be a frightening prospect.
Their opponents, Colombian side Millonarios, were disappointing. Away from home against the world champions, Millos coach Hernan Torres understandably instructed his team to stay deep and look to absorb Corinthians’ pressure, but Millonarios’s shape and style of play doesn’t lend itself to that type of approach. They usually play an expansive 4-4-2, relying on the flair of attacking midfielders Candelo and Otálvaro and the threat of strike partnership Renteria and Montero. When they stay deep, they are easily exposed and struggle to keep up with the pace of the game.
Torres will surely want to employ a more attacking approach when the two teams face each other again in April, this time in the Colombian capital of Bogota. Like most cities in the Andean region of South America, Bogota is situated high above sea level, and visiting squads often suffer with the effects of the increased altitude. Furthermore, Millonarios’s home ground El Campin is a notoriously difficult place for away teams to play, with the home fans always creating a noisy, hostile atmosphere. That match should be a lot tighter, and Corinthians will have to be on the top of their game in order to win.
Wednesday’s result leaves Millonarios in serious trouble with zero points after two matches in Group 5, and with only two home fixtures remaining. Tijuana and Corinthians lead the way with six and four points respectively, and Bolivians San Jose are in third place with one. Millos will surely need maximum points from their upcoming double header against San Jose for them to have a chance of qualification.
Next up for Corinthians is a mammoth journey to the Mexico–United States border to play Club Tijuana in their wonderfully named Estadio Caliente. This match will require the longest ever away trip in Copa Libertadores history, as over 6,000 miles separate Sao Paulo and Tijuana, which is larger than the distance between London and Bangkok.