January 26 – Hernan Crespo and Defensa y Justicia clinched their first ever international title with a 3-0 victory against Lanus in the Copa Sudamericana final.
The final was framed as a battle of the coaches and it was the former-Chelsea-striker-turned manager who prevailed in an all-Argentinean affair in Cordoba. The match was played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was Defensa’s collective approach that won the small club from outskirts of Buenos Aires the final, the victory the culmination of a meteoric rise in recent years. Defensa have been playing in the Argentine top flight since 2014 and Crespo has taken the club to the next level with an unlikely win in the Copa Sudamericana, the region’s second-tier competition.
Adonis Frias, before the break, Braian Romero and Washington Camacho were on target for Defensa y Justicia.
The final had originally been scheduled to be played on November 7, but due to the global health crisis South American governing body Conmebol was forced to push back the flagship match.
Even with no fans in the stands for the final, the match still brought together 2,500 people in and around the stadium to ensure technical and logistical operations. All those involved in match-day operations required a negative Covid-19 test.
Next Saturday, Santos and Palmeiras will play an all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1735285930labto1735285930ofdlr1735285930owedi1735285930sni@o1735285930fni1735285930