FUTBLOG: Sao Paulo's goal-scoring goalie enlivens Copa Libertadores
match
Rogerio Ceri, goalkeeper for Sao Paulo, takes
charge of a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal against Mexican side Tigres
Wednesday, scoring two tremendous goals off free kicks and narrowly missing a
hat trick.
People complain that goals are scarce in soccer,
but even so, a three-goal "hat trick" is not uncommon around the world. But for
a goalie, who rarely leaves the 18-yard penalty box? It almost happened during
Sao Paulo's quarterfinal Copa Libertadores match Wednesday thanks to Rogerio
Ceni, the goalie who can bend it like
Beckham.
The match began with a great
atmosphere in Sao Paulo's cavernous stadium, known as "el Morumbi." The game
itself lacked rhythm, with a few missed chances early on. Aldo De Nigris had a
few missed shots for Tigres in the opening 15 minutes or so, the Mexican side
relying more on counter-attacks.
In the 30th
minute, Rogerio trots forward to take a free kick from a dangerous position on
the right. Brazilian Rogerio has two goals already in the Copa Libertadores
tournament, a season-long event of South American and Mexican teams similar to
the Champion's League. He has the most career goals for a goalie after Jose Luis
Chilavert, the Paraguayan international. Rogerio steps up and expertly bends the
ball over and around the wall, into the upper right hand corner to put his team
up 1-0.
Sao Paulo now begin to find tons of
free space up the right wing, penetrating at will. In the 40th minute, Tigres
cough up the ball in midfield, and Cicinho crosses from the right to Luizao, who
buries it for the 2-0 lead.
As the second
half begins, Tigres recover some of the crisp passing that kept them in it
during the opening half hour. In the 56th minute, however, a defensive mistake
pretty much buries Tigres. Paulo Da Silva is the last defender back for Tigres,
and a ball squirts through in front of him. He needs to just boot it far, but he
hesitates, and Luizao sneaks onto the ball and past him. Da Silva tugs at him as
he passes, bringing him off the ball, and is given a direct red card just
outside the box. He's gone, and who comes up to hit the free kick? Rogerio, of
course. And he makes a meal of it, sending the ball arcing into the left-hand
corner of the goal this time. A few minutes later, Junior's great cross finds
Souza in front of the goal, and he puts it away to make it
4-0.
I think the Rogerio goals rattled
Tigres, and the expulsion of course makes it difficult for Tigres to attack
without being terribly exposed in the back. The fatally-wounded Tigres seems on
the verge of disaster and in the 69th minute, disaster strikes. Saavedra trips
Diego Tardelli in the box and the ref points to the penalty spot. Rogerio skips
up take the penalty and potentially make history with a third goal. He is his
team's regularly appointed penalty-taker, and I have seen him win a game with a
kick from the spot. But this time, history will have to wait. On the easiest of
his three dead-ball chances, Rogerio hits it high, just over the bar. He will
have to settle for two goals in this blow-out win, certainly a fine
accomplishment on its own. The game ends 4-0, with Sao Paulo likely to advance,
bringing an almost insurmountable lead into the second leg to be played in
Mexico next week.
Posted: Fri - June 3, 2005 at 09:23 AM