Lorenzetti leaves it late for la U

Midfielder Gustavo Lorenzetti struck a late winner as Universidad de Chile kicked off their Copa Libertadores campaign on the right foot.

Santiago – La U needed to make the most of their home match against Uruguay´s Defensor Sporting and had to show plenty of patience before they could break down the stubborn visitors.

In fact, it took until the 83^rd minute for midfielder Lorenzetti to come up trumps with his left-foot winner. It means la U top Group 5 along with Peru’s Real Garcilaso, who pulled off a shock 2-1 home win against Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro.

On the debit side, la U must wait and see if they are reported to the Conmebol, South American football´s governing body, after a flare was lit by a fan in the aftermath of the goal.

Earlier in the week, Universidad de Chile had been fined US $10,000 by the Conmebol and warned that part of their stadium would be closed in the future if there was a repeat offence in the next two years.

Universidad de Chile goalkeeper Johnny Herrera blasted the fan responsible for the flare, who was attacked by fellow supporters and caught by the police.

“He’s an imbecile and I don’t know what he was thinking,” said Herrera. “If we have to play without our fans, it’s as if we’ll enter to the stadium with ten men.”

La U´s next game in the Libertadores is away to Cruzeiro. The match takes place in Belo Horizonte on February 25.

Meanwhile, O’Higgins also made an encouraging start on their return to South America’s top club competition after an absence of 30 years.

The Rancagua side earned an excellent 0-0 draw at Argentina´s Lanús, the Copa Sudamericana holders.

It gives them a foothold in Group 3 ahead of their next encounter at home against Colombia’s Deportivo Cali next Wednesday. Cali opened up with a 1-0 home win against Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño.

The other Chilean team in the Libertadores, Unión Española, kick off their campaign with a trip to Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle next Tuesday.

Indeed, Unión open up the seventh round of the Chilean Clausura this evening when they visit Cobreloa (6pm). The Rojos will seek to put the memory of last Sunday´s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of table-topping Colo Colo behind them.

Cobreloa lie ninth in the table and all the talk is that a victory is needed to keep manager Jorge García in his job. It’s been reported that there is a clause in García’s contract that stipulates that Cobreloa must be in the top seven after seven rounds.

Colo Colo are also in action this evening. A bumper crowd will be expected at the Estadio Monumental (8.30pm) to see if they can continue their recent run of victories and high-scoring performances. Rangers are the visitors.