The Bolivar of Bolivia beat this Wednesday the Sporty Lara from Venezuela for 23 in the first leg of the first phase of the Copa Libertadores, which puts it one step away from the second phase of the continental competition, after a great game by Francisco ‘Chico’ Da Costa who scored two goals.
Deportivo Lara showed superiority in the first minutes of the match with an early goal, in minute 3, from Rodney Chirinos. The Venezuelan player joined the attack and finished off with his right leg, from the center of the area, a good pass sent from the right wing by Jean Castillo. However, Bolívar woke up in the 21st minute with a goal from Bruno Saviowho got between the defenders to finish off a header from the right wing.
In the 28th minute, Deportivo Lara regained the lead with a shot from Diego Melean from the center of the area that surpassed the goalkeeper in the kick of a free kick. the brazilian Boy Da Costa shortened that advantage for Lara with a goal for Bolívar in the 34th minute, thanks to a cross and the late reaction of Venezuelan goalkeeper Luis Curiel, who let the ball escape when it seemed that he had caught it. In the 39th minute, Da Costa scored his second goal with a shot to the right from outside the area after an assist from Patricio Rodríguez that, in the end, sealed the victory for the Bolivian team.
During the second half, both teams felt tired in their first official match of 2022 and Bolívar, locked in his area with a solid defense, prevented Lara from scoring the equalizer.
Next Wednesday, the second leg will be played in La Paz, in which Bolívar hopes to maintain the advantage that will allow them to advance to the second phase.