Caio Alexandre (left), from Bahia, disputes a ball with Josen Escobar, from America.
Photo: EFE – RAFAEL MARTINS
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América de Cali took a goalless draw on his visit to Bahia in the first leg of the round of 16 of the South American Cup.
The team led by Gabriel Raimondi resisted in the Fonte Nova Arena with an ordered defensive approach, highlighting the performance of goalkeeper Jorge Soto and defender Daniel Bocanegra, who even avoided a clear goal with a decisive intervention. Although the Brazilian team dominated possession, it failed to translate that control into effectiveness against the arch.
The party, however, was not exempt from controversies. In the added time, Éverton Ribeiro was expelled by a codazo to Bocanegra after review of the VAR, while the Colombian José Cavadía also saw the red one for an reckless entry about Tiago.
Both teams ended with ten players and referee Andrés Matonte was protagonist for their decisions in the final minutes.
Despite having suffered at times, America had one of the few clear approaches in Bocanegra's feet, who finished off medium distance forcing goalkeeper Marcos Felipe.
Bahia, on the other hand, crashed a ball in the stick and had a clear option on the feet of Éverton Ribeiro, but Soto responded with solvency.
The series is still open and everything will be defined in the second leg, which will be played on Tuesday, July 22 at 7:30 pm at the Pascual Guerrero Stadium in Cali.
America expects to take advantage of the locality to advance to the round of 16 in a tournament that represents its greatest aspiration of the semester.
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