Fortaleza struck the blow in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana semifinals by eliminating Corinthians. After drawing 1-1 in the first leg, those led by coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda won 2-0 at home to qualify for the grand final, in which they will face Liga de Quito at the Domingo Burgueño Miguel Stadium in Maldonado, Uruguay.
Although the fact of competing for a continental title is already historic enough for the northeastern Brazilian institution, this possibility also has value due to the path taken to reach this moment. Just a few years ago, the team was in the third category of Brazilian football.
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Fortaleza’s presence is a challenge to logic. Despite not being one of the traditional clubs in its country, little by little it has earned a name not only in Brazil but in South America. Before this campaign, “Leão” had already participated in the Copa Libertadores. Their recent achievements were unimaginable a while ago.
Fortaleza’s past performance at the Copa Libertadores
Between 2007 and 2017, they wandered through the Brazilian promotion. However, the turning point occurred in 2018, once they returned to the second division after being runners-up in the third. In what was a great bet by the board, Rogério Ceni took the reins of the team and led it to the Serie B title.
The following year saw even greater growth: Fortaleza won its first Northeast Cup and also triumphed in the Cearense Championship. The club also managed to stay in Brasileirao despite the departure of his coach, who after two months in Cruzeiro, returned to the club.
Covid-19 and a ray of sunshine for Tricolor
The outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 was a challenge for the Tricolor do Pici, which despite winning the state tournament again, was close to being relegated: it finished in 16th place in the Brazilian Serie A, equal in points with the Vasco da Gama, who lost the category. In addition, the constant changes of command continued, since Ceni left to coach Flamengo.
2021 was a year of definitive takeoff for the institution. With Vojvoda as technical director, in addition to winning the Cearense Championship again, Fortaleza had a historic campaign in the Brasileirao by finishing in fourth place, which secured a place in the following year’s Libertadores. After retaining the state title and adding another Northeast Cup, they reached the second round of the continental competition and finished eighth in the domestic competition.
That whole path brought them here, an unprecedented Copa Sudamericana final. On their way to the decisive match, “Leão” was the leader of Group H with 15 points and then crossed out Libertad of Paraguay, América Mineiro, and Corinthians in the direct elimination phase. Now, they dream of being the first team from the Brazilian northeast to win a continental trophy.
ADVERSÁRIO DEFINIDO! 🦁
O Fortaleza irá enfrentar a LDU Quito na grande decisão da CONMEBOL Sudamericana 2023!
Partiu, Uruguai! 🦁✈️🇺🇾#FortalezaEC #Sudamericana pic.twitter.com/sxlxHYCYxw
— Fortaleza Esporte Clube 🦁 (@FortalezaEC) October 4, 2023
Samba Gold 2023: voting is now open
The nominees for the Samba Gold 2023 awards have already been announced and voting is open. Choose your favorite candidates in each category!
