Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito defeated Fluminense 1-0 in the first leg of the South American Recopa played at high altitude in Quito, taking a slight advantage into the return leg on February 29 at Maracanã.
The match was heading towards a draw until Alex Arce, in his debut, scored in added time of the second half, breaking the deadlock. He connected with a cross from Ezequiel Piovi from a free-kick, and inside the small box, the Paraguayan forward improvised a backheel that deflected the ball into the net past Fábio.
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The solitary appearance of the attacker led to a VAR review due to suspicions of offside, but the refereeing team upheld the goal for the Copa Sudamericana champions. There was no time for a response from the Copa Libertadores winners.
Fluminense started strongly, but the 2,850 meters of altitude at the stadium and the wet pitch due to heavy rain that lasted almost the entire match drained their energy as minutes passed. This was well exploited by the Ecuadorians, who couldn’t find the breakthrough earlier due to the experienced Fábio’s good saves.
Fernando Diniz’s team had few opportunities, such as Matheus Martinelli’s powerful shot in the 72nd minute that was blocked by goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez. In the first half, the Brazilian team appealed for a penalty for a possible foul on Germán Cano, but after VAR review, Colombian referee Andrés Rojas did not award it.
