This Saturday, in Asunción, the new champion of the Copa Sudamericana is defined. At 37, the Chilean goalkeeper from the Academy will play his first international final, against Cruzeiro. The Argentine team has not won a Conmebol trophy since 1988.
The year ends and the competitions enter the definition period. This is what happens with the South American Cup who will play their final this Saturday in Asunción (5 p.m. in Chile). Two teams with a rich history aspire to regain the air of greatness they lost at continental level.
Races and Cruzeiro They land on Paraguayan territory to seize “the other half of the glory”. In passing, the hegemony of the Brazilian and Argentinian teams in the Conmebol interclub competitions is confirmed.
On one side is the Academy which manages Gustavo Costas living emblem of the institution, which left the Corinthians on the road in the semi-final. The bus passed through Palestino. On the other, the Raposa appears led by Fernando Diniz, champion of the Libertadores 2023 with Fluminense, who advanced to the definition after leaving Lanús on the road.
A Chilean will be the protagonist of the day. Gabriel Arias Not only is he the starting goalkeeper of the Albiceleste team, but he is also the captain. Since his arrival at the Avellaneda club, he has become a reference. To date, he has played 218 matches, conceding 212 goals. At 37, he will face his first international final.
The man from Neuquén is 90 minutes away from winning the most important crown of his career, as he goes through the maturity of his sporting career. “Since I arrived at the club, my goal has always been to reach an international final. It’s the reward for never giving up and giving everything for this jersey,” said the goalkeeper during the official press conference on Friday, accompanied by his coach. “We had peaks performances, victories and a lot of learning in different games. We are in a great moment, confident and we have faith in our potential. It will be a great match against Cruzeiro,” added the former Unión La Calera player.
This final against the Belo Horizonte team appears at a special moment for the Chilean goalkeeper, naturalized Argentinian, transformed into one of the pillars of the team (on the other side of the mountain range they call him ‘Seagull’ ), On the one hand, a few months He was involved in a controversy when he criticized the attitude of his colleagues after a defeat in the local tournament. On the other hand, This final appears after he was no longer considered for the national team.
With the arrival of Ricardo Gareca, he becomes second in goals for La Roja, after Claudio Bravo. This was seen in the friendly match against Paraguay last June, when the retired goalkeeper left due to injury and the one who replaced him was Arias, to the detriment of Brayan Cortés.
Later, without the former Barcelona goalkeeper, he became a starter for the qualifying matches against Argentina and Bolivia. This emblematic defeat against the Highlands was the last match of Argentina-Chile in the national team. Today the undisputed owner is Cortés.
The racing dream
This match becomes relevant for Argentine football because it marks an old desire of Racing, one of the big five: to be champion of a continental tournament again. He hasn’t won an international cup for 36 years. It was the 1988 South American Super Cup, in which Cruzeiro won. A fact makes the situation even more special: at that time, Gustavo Costas was a defender of the Academy, led by Alfio “Coco” Basile.
After his move to Palestino in 2022, with whom he finished fourth in the National Tournament, the Argentinian took over the management of the Bolivian team thinking of the qualifiers towards 2026. However, the timid start aborted the process in October 2023. the same year, he returned to the team of which he declared himself a fervent supporter. “Running is the love of my life” the coach said in a dialogue with ESPN. “I am first from Racing then Argentinian” » added a Costa who lives and breathes football. Especially with the colors blue and white.
Nearly 50,000 Argentinian supporters traveled to the Paraguayan capital. It is expected that the Albicelestes will host the Cerro Porteño stadium. Arias could be the one to take home the champion trophy.
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
