A couple of hours after Lanús confirmed their participation in the Copa Libertadores with a win, Arsenal de Sarandí did the same in spite of a defeat. Their 2-0 home victory in the first leg proved enough for the Copa Sudamericana holders, as Mineros de Guyana could only manage a 2-1 win in Venezuela.
The hosts began to dream at half-time when, after a first half which they’d just shaded, the referee awarded Mineros a penalty for a foul by Martín Andrizzi on Wilson Cuero. Ederlei Pereira made no mistake from the spot, and Mineros went to the dressing room with a lead on the night which pulled the aggregate deficit back to just 2-1.
The dream didn’t last long, though, José Luís Calderón netting what turned out to be the crucial goal in the opening minute of the second half, to level it up 1-1 on the night and put Arsenal 3-1 ahead on aggregate. Jailson Dos Santos added a second later to give Mineros the win on the night, but Calderón’s goal proved just too much for the Venezuelans when it came to the final reckoning, and Arsenal now advance to the group stage, where they’ll face Brazilians Fluminense, Libertad of Paraguay, and LDU Quito of Ecuador.
Hasta El Gol Siempre 