Well, unfortunately I missed this match. I know, of all the matches to miss, but it was for a real life changing reason. One that I won’t be sharing here my dear readers. I have read some match reports and can give you an idea of what happened. And couple that with the video above, you can get an idea of what happened on Wednesday night.

For my birthday today, Inter and Estudiantes gifted me a really great match at the start — at least that’s what I’m taking from this one. Estudiantes had the initiative and Inter conceded possession and the space for them to be better looking than they were against Argentinos. Rotating player positions, seeking out space and touching the ball around to one another, this was an Estudiantes side that was decidedly looking to win this match.

But as in the Semi-final against Argentinos, Estudiantes were much more dangerous on dead ball situations. But the real advantage Estudiantes needed came in the 24th minute when Pablo Guiñazú was sent off with his second yellow of the match while trying to stop the great production the Argentine side had up to this point. Red Card for Inter. Inter with ten men from this point forward.

With any other side, you would have expected to see a reduction in offensive plays and definitely more defense work but Inter kept on attacking and playing as if they had 11 men on the pitch. And ten minutes later, using Nilmar’s break neck speed, Inter found the go ahead goal.

Nilmar went deep into the penalty area and was taken down by defender Leandro Desábato. The ensuing penalty kick was taken by Alex who had a slight pause on his shot faking the keeper and was able to jam in the goal that gave them the lead. 1-0 to Inter.

But only three minutes later, with Estudiantes still reeling from the goal they had just given up, Andrés D’Alessandro had a free kick rebound off the post on Mariano Andújar’s left post. This could possibly have been Estudiantes’ wake up call because it was only then that they actually reacted.

Creating quite a few chances to score near Inter’s penalty area, Estudiantes played with quite a bit of passion until the end of the first half but they were met with a solid Inter defense. Estudiantes also had to be sure they kept their eyes on Alex and D’Alessandro who could complicate with the ball and just inches of space.

In the second half, Juan Sebastián Verón had his hand on the trottle of the Pincharata offense (as usual) where he had two opportunities from long range to bring his side level. Inter, meanwhile, played the counter with perfection using the ex-Lyon man’s speed up front to keep Estudiantes vigilant.

Verón was the undisputed archstone of Estudiantes’ attack. But given that, Inter were still able to keep him and his cronies from getting a good look at Lauro’s goal. Also, Estudiantes used the long lobbing cross to the point of exhaustion where Indio and Arévalo were easily able to clear.

And at this time, Inter sought refuge on defense, looking only to clear the long Estudiantes crosses from their box, something they were able to do with great efficiency. Keep in mind they still had only ten men on the pitch. But with this, Estudiantes left themselves uncovered at the back where they suffered every time D’Alessandro got the ball.

Final Score: 1-0 to Inter. One hand on the cup.

I had this one going (I guess I could’ve made this up and you wouldn’t know, but in all honesty…) 2-1 to Inter. Not bad. The difference between the two sides would not have been more than one goal since Estudiantes do have a pretty solid side but not like what Inter has been able to put together.

This one finishes off in Porto Alegre next week with Inter as the favorites going into that one. And Estudiantes face a huge uphill battle — something they should be used to at this point.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Estudiantes de La Plata vs. Sport Club Internacional (Estadio Unico de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina)

LIVE @ 3:30pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here. If we’re lucky, the Mexicans will not be announcing

Well in case you’ve been under a rock or overwhelmed with UEFA Champions League action, tonight there is quite a big match taking place in South America. Estudiantes de La Plata, with an unbeaten record at home, are hosting Internacional de Porto Alegre in the first leg of the Finals of the Copa Sudamericana.

Estudiantes coach Leonardo Astrada’s side has advanced in this cup due to their positive performances at home against every side they faced in this competition. Both coach and players know that in order to advance to the next round they will need to take care of business at home since Inter’s record at home is also pretty respectable, most notably, in their last two matchups.

Estudiantes are coming off a win at the weekend in the Argentine Apertura, 2-0 over second place side, Tigre, and are looking to have a few changes to their line up. Leandro Desábato is back after a suspension where he’ll take Cristian Cellay’s place and Matías Sanchez will be replacing Rodrigo Braña, who was sent off against Argentinos in their 1-0 Semi-final win, last week.

Inter coach Tité decided he would rest his starters this past weekend and as a result all his best players are healthy and available for tonight’s match. We should see the exact same side tonight that beat Chivas 4-0 in Porto Alegre.

The coach is pretty confident about his side’s chances of coming away with a positive result in La Plata. While he did mention that the team had been trying out different formations and practicing dead ball plays, he also said that he would be trying to maintain the team’s form for regularities sake.

Bottom Line: Inter have shown to be a very organized side. Say what you will, but they handled themselves like a top flight side against the likes of Boca Juniors and Chivas. Estudiantes have employed and more defensive and unattractive style of football for their most recent matches but they can be explosive on the offensive end as well. It would seem that these two are pretty evenly matched.

My Pick: 2-1 to Inter. Estudiantes are able to score tonight but they are not able to keep Inter from sinking two in. Inter are a more organized side and look sharper coming into this one. And who doesn’t want offensive, fun-to-watch football to win?

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Well, this one certainly wasn’t the best semi-final I’ve seen. But Estudiantes did what they had to do, not unlike Chelsea vs. Liverpool (circa 2007 CL semi-finals) in my mind, by holding Argentinos with a unattractive defensive stance for most of the match while the visitors tried, wildly at times, to get the single goal that could get them into the final match.

With just one goal Argentinos’ chances to get into the Final match were high and with the good work by Mauro Bogado on the right and Sergio Escudero on the left, they tried from all sides.

Hauche and Pavlovich were as sharp as usual, on plays their side generated and plays they were able to create on their own. Pavlovich had an opportunity to get his side ahead but Estudiantes keeper Mariano Andujar was able to keep it out. But that wasn’t all. There was more. Mostly crosses into the box but at least they were trying. In the 26th, Bogado had a free kick go just wide off the defensive wall.

Estudiantes took it slow. So slow that they had their first real opportunity to score in the 35th minute. You see, Estudiantes was playing a counter attacking and very defensive style, not giving up anything. So it was near the end, after a great header by Cristian Cellay, that Juan Sebastián Verón and Diego Galvan had probably their closest chance to score of the night.

After a fantastic play by Verón, who took a hard shot which Argentinos keeper Sebastián Torrico had to work hard to keep out. But Torrico was unable to hold onto it and the rebound went to Galván who blasted the ball over the crossbar and into orbit from an unbelievable position.

The second half was more of the same. Argentinos came on like gangbusters but flung one too many crosses into the penalty area with their next near miss coming off a dead ball situation. Bogado again with the free kick to Andrés Scotti who was unable to connect a header from point blank range.

Estudiantes coach Leonardo Astrada dusted off 38-year old José Luis Calderón from the bench and sent him on in place of Juan Salgueiro, a substitution that would define the match only minutes from then.

A few moments later, Torrico had to save Argentinos again when Estudiantes came up on the counter, Argentinos had gone balls-to-the-wall on offense and often left themselves unprotected at the back, and after a blast of a shot by Mauro Boselli, he blocked the shot out to the touchline.

The ensuing corner kick brought about another corner that was taken by Leandro Benítez from the left and Calderón, who had just come on, headed the ball into the net from between Sergio Escudero and Matías Caruzzo. 1-0 to Estudiantes and the delirium began in the Estadio Unico de La Plata.

After the goal, Estudiantes was able to hold Argentinos easily since they ended up with only 10 men on the pitch after defender Franco Quiroga was sent off in the 80th minute. Argentinos tried to make it happen near the end, a 1-1 draw would force penalties, but Hauche and Pavlovich’s attempts were stymied by a very stubborn and tactically refined Estudiantes defense.

Final Score: 1-0 to Estudiantes. El Pincha gets into an international final match for the first time in over 30 years. Much like their run to the Argentine 06 Apertura over Boca, no one expected them to win it but their heart showed near the end and they made it happen.

I had this one going 2-1 to Estudiantes and while Hauche and Pavlovich did make the night a tough one for the Estudiantes back line, they did hold them to 0 goals. Estudiantes play a butt ugly match and you know, we deserve better. They can play some nice football, just look at their opener against Independiente. Let’s hope they come out to play and not just try to smother D’Alessandro, Alex, Nilmar and co.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Club Estudiantes de La Plata vs. Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors (Estadio Unico de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina)

LIVE @ 3:30pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

After stealing a huge result last week in La Paternal, Estudiantes are coming into this match with all their best players and the intention of getting into the final match. Argentinos, on the other hand, are in a must score situation after not being able to completely put the Pincharatas to bed last week, but the result at the weekend between these two has eyebrows raised and doubts well in place.

With arguably their best squad in recent years, Estudiantes have a strong starting XI with a handful of substitutes that can also get the job done and sometimes better than the starters. For tonight’s match, coach Leonardo Astrada will be able to count on his very best starting line up including talismanic midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón.

Last week, Estudiantes were able to get a valuable away goal giving them a slim advantage over the Argentinos side that are faced with having to score at least one goal to assure that they’ll be in the final of this competition. But the big doubt in place is the result this past weekend in the Argentine Clausura.

You see these two sides met in the Argentine Clausura and the match ended with a surprising result. Neither team fielded their full strength squads but a few starters did make the cut. Argentinos put on a clinic at the Diego Maradona and won 5-0. No, that’s not a typo. 5-0. This may place some of the momentum back in Argentinos favor who just barely failed to beat Estudiantes on their ground.

Argentinos are looking to put their club’s name as high as they can this season and a Sudamericana win would do just that. Not since the mid 80s has Argentinos had a team that on an international title. With this in mind, coach Nestór Gorosito has refused to name his final starting XI and word is, he’s still deciding whether or not to go with Carlos Recalde or Franco Quiroga and it’s expected that Gonzalo Prosperi will replace Juan Sabia.

Estudiantes will also be without Leandro Desábato who was red carded in the first leg. Christian Cellay will replace him.

Pavlovich, Boselli and Alex of Inter are all tied as leading goalscorers of the tournament (along with Marcos Lazaga but he doesn’t count since he and his team were eliminated early on) so you know Boselli and Pavlovich will be taking any shot they can get.

Bottom Line: Both sides have some advantages here and there but Estudiantes has the biggest one of all, the away goal. If coach Leonardo Astrada wants to play a conservative match, he could try to stone wall Argentinos but remember what I said about the Football Gods. We don’t want to piss them off. In any case, Estudiantes has the advantage which makes Argentinos the underdog. Argentinos must love being the underdog, they came from nowhere to beat San Lorenzo and Palmeiras, both teams they should have lost to. I guess what I’m saying is that Estudiantes is the right pick here.

My Pick: 2-1 to Estudiantes. Estudiantes will have trouble handling Hauche and Pavlovich and one of them will get the goal but it won’t be enough. Estudiantes will impose the rhythm of the match, which will be a slow, plodding and strategic tempo lead by Verón.

The winners tonight will face Internacional of Porto Alegre in the Final of the Copa Sudamericana.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

With a fantastic performance in the first leg in Guadalajara, Inter came into this match with a big lead that allowed them to manage the match at their discretion. Chivas was desperate to score early on and slowly fell apart in front of a much more organized, seasoned and veteran Inter side that seriously took care of business.

On Inter’s side of the ball the match was strangely calm, cool and collected. You see, since they had a wonderfully comfortable cushion separating themselves form Chivas, they were able to trot and not play full tilt, which in retrospect is very scary.

With Andrés D’Alessandro pulling the strings in the midfield and Taison (looking damn good tonight BTW) and Nilmar up front causing all kinds of havoc for the Chivas defenders, Inter looked in charge and in control of the match.

With a Chivas side desperate to score, they held onto possession from the first whistle but were unable to make a difference on the scoresheet or make Inter’s keeper Lauro nervous. Using the flanks, the Mexican side got close to the penalty area, but the well organized home side was able to keep the Mexicans from invading the 16-yard box, something that forced players like Ramón Morales to take long range shots.

But in the 18th minute, Juan Ocampo tackled D’Alessandro in the penalty area and the referee sounded his whistle for the penalty kick. D’Alessandro stepped up and buried the ball into the side netting, low to the right of the keeper. 1-0 and Inter had one foot into the Final match.

Not much later, Chivas suffered another blow. Off a free kick just outside the penalty area, D’Allesandro scored a magnificent free kick, beating the keeper for his second of the night and extended his side’s lead. 2-0 to Inter and now the aggregate was 4-0.

If Chivas had a prayer before this goal, now they were hopeless. BTW, the Mexican press blamed the keeper for this goal – more on these clowns later – but D’Alessandro was able to bend it like the best of them.

In the 41st minute, Alberto Medina brought down an Inter player from behind and got a straight red for a hard tackle. Only moments later, the keeper was at fault for the next goal. Off a corner, the keeper had trouble getting clearing the ball from his net only to allow it to go over his head and towards a waiting Nilmar who pounced and got ahead to it at the back door of the keeper’s goal. 3-0 to Inter. 5-0 on aggregate. Put a fork in Chivas, they are done. The worst news is that there is still a whole half left to play.

Now with ten men, the goal for Chivas was to try to get through the match without conceding another goal. So with this in mind, they played ten men behind the ball against an Inter side determined to hold possession until Chivas defenders made a mistake somewhere that they could take advantage.

And the mistake came in the 70th minute where on a wonderful give and go play between Taison and Nilmar up front, ended in a fantastic finish by the former Lyon player for the final nail in the coffin. 4-0 to Inter. 6-0 on aggregate.

Final Score: 4-0 to Inter. The qualify for the Final match.

Chivas was unable to do what Pumas, Pachuca and América were able to do, that is, get to a Copa Sudamericana Final match.

Unbeknownst to them, Inter have made history. They are the first Brazilian club to earn a spot in the final of a Copa Sudamericana. Now, I know, this cup hasn’t been around for a very long time – 6 years only – but that’s something for our Brazilian readers to get excited about.

One thing I am happy to get upset about is the Mexican team announcing tonight’s match for those of us here in North America. These guys are a total embarrassment. Actually, before I go there I’d like to congratulate them on knowing just about everything any human would want to know about the Mexican sides in these competitions. But they don’t have a single clue about the names of the players on the other team (MAGRAO!! not Marcao!!) and you can forget about them knowing their strategy or who they played at the weekend. I also hate that everything that happens in favor of other teams is considered a mistake by the Mexican side. “The goalkeeper allowed that fantastic goal to go in.” It’s total bullshit for people who call themselves professionals. There, I’ve said it.

I had this one going 2-1 to Inter. I hadn’t expected it to be so one sided but Inter are a solid team and it’s a shame they won’t be in next year’s Copa Libertadores. Chivas, better luck next time.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Sport Club Internacional vs. Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) (Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

LIVE @ 4pm on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

In tonight’s match, Chivas look to do the impossible by coming into Porto Alegre and try to steal a spot in the final of the Copa Sudamericana. The spot, sort of, belongs to Internacional, who have a crazy good advantage over their Mexican opponents and could advance despite losing or drawing at home.

Inter is a club that has won some important cups in recent memory, most notably the Copa Libertadores in 2006, along with the FIFA World Club Cup of the same year and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2007. But these are not reasons why they should win tonight.

They actually should win because they had a hell of a result in Guadalajara, Mexico last week and could see the light of the final match at the end of a pretty short tunnel at this point. With two big, monstrous away goals in their favor, Inter look to make short work of Chivas and step into the final.

But all is not rosy at Inter. Unfortunately, Dunga called up midfielder monster, Alex to play in Brazil’s friendly against Portugal this week – let’s hope he gets some minutes otherwise what a waste depending on what the result here tonight is. The good news is that D’Alessandro is back in the squad, and while he doesn’t replace Alex position for position, there is another big name to keep the Chivas defense busy. And with the engine of this team, Magrao and Daniel Carvalho and Nilmar, there are plenty of other options for this side. Look for Taison to replace Alex.

For some this series is all but done. But it all depends on how you look at it. For others, myself included, the Football Gods are unforgiving and can be merciless should you decide to underestimate your opponent. Just ask Flamengo about this year’s Libertadores.

Chivas are really looking down the barrel of the gun. They need a tremendous performance to advance and word is, because of their poor season in the Mexican league, where they failed to qualify for the Liguilla (that’s playoffs to you and me), it seems their coach Efrain Flores might be on the Chivas bench for the last time. Word is Juande Ramos is going to be replacing him if you believe the Mexican press, which can be worse than the British press at times.

The biggest piece of bad news for Chivas fans and club directors is the absence of Omar Arellano. Head and shoulders, their best, most dangerous player on the pitch. With a mix of speed and great on the field vision, Arellano will be with the Mexican national team for their friendly this week. Alberto Medina will be doing his best Arellano impression.

Chivas need a 2-0 win to force penalties or better to advance outright, something that looks to be tough on paper, playing away from home and without their arguably best player. Still, Chivas have a great keeper in Javier Hernández, and he could be the difference maker tonight.

Bottom Line: This is an almost impossible match for Chivas to win. I honestly have zero hope for them since they are playing in Brazil. They have a good enough squad to turn the result around but they’ll need a prayer to get it done. Inter have it far easier. At the end of the first leg, there was word that they could field an alternate side for this one to rest their best for the final but like I mentioned earlier, I think that would really piss off the Football Gods and that could also help makes things interesting.

My Pick: 2-1 to Inter. Inter win this one without messing up their hair. They go down early and Chivas keep things interesting. Inter come level before the half and then go up in the second and never look back. Check it.

Tonight’s winner faces the winner of tomorrow night’s match between Estudiantes and Argentinos.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

While this match didn’t have the dance I hoped it would have, it was a hard nosed match with plenty of fight, rough play and lots of complaints to the ref, which, in the end, was a testament to how badly both sides wanted this match that each was willing to fight tooth and nail to get it.

After suffering through many years of five promotions to the top flight and life in the B Nacional, tonight’s match was a type of rebirth for the Argentinos faithful. Many present considered tonight’s match to be the club’s most important in their last ten years.

Estudiantes took some time to get used to the size of the pitch. Smaller than the Estadio Unico in La Plata – site of the second leg of this series – once the visitors settled in, they controlled much of the first half. Meanwhile, the home side had trouble getting comfortable and the idea of competing in an international Semi-final had the squad looking very nervous.

With a sloppy but mobile Gabriel Hauche up front, an MIA Néstor Ortigoza and a Juan Mercier who had trouble breaking his markers, Argentinos never quite settled in or figured out the defensive puzzle Estudiantes put in front of them. But still, the home side had some possession but Estudiantes was decidedly more organized.

Playing at the beat of Juan Sebastián Verón’s liking, Estudiantes pretty much dominated Argentinos and the stadium’s collective heart stopped whenever Leandro Benitez had the ball and crossed it into the penalty area. The only Argentinos player creating any kind of danger was Sergio Escudero, the left back. Yes, the left back was far more dangerous to Estudiantes than the strikers or midfielders.

And in the 27th minute, Estudiantes went ahead. Off a corner taken by Estudantes midfielder Leandro Benitez, Agustín Alayes connected in the center of the area, completely unmarked but his header slammed into the penalty area, Argentinos keeper Sebastián Torrico leaped but didn’t get a hand on it, and the ball went into the net off Torrico’s back. An own goal. 1-0 to Estudiantes.

Most of the Argentinos defense was much more preoccupied with grabbing and pulling on Estudiantes offensive players instead of being more strategic and careful with the marking. This allowed Alayes to get off a hell of a header at point blank range.

In the second half, Argentinos had to react. And it was going to be easier than they had expected since Verón had to be subbed off at the half due to a knock to his leg. As a result, Argentinos were able to steamroll Estudiantes in the first moments. So much so, that they equalized only two minutes into the second half.

Carlos Recalde took a free kick Argentinos were awarded and the ball met Mercier who stomped into the penalty area all by his lonesome and drilled the ball into the bottom right corner past the keeper. 1-1 and it seemed we had another match from the one in the first half.

Ortigoza came to and he and Mercier drove the team forward and earned Argentinos more possibilities to score and crosses. Dear God, were there crosses in this one. Almost as many arguments towards the ref, as there were crosses. But referee Alejandro Sabino did have a terrible night.

To add more controversy, Nicolás Pavlovich had a header off a cross by Mauro Bogado get past the Estudiantes keeper, Mariano Andújar, but he reached back and pulled it off the line. The home side and the entire stadium came down on the ref and they swear it was past the goal line but it was called a save by Andújar.

Without Verón, Estudiantes seemed to deflate in the second half, having only one true opportunity to score near the end of the match, but keeper Torrico was able to keep it out. And with the red card for Leandro Desábato in the 28th minute, Estudiantes decided they would hold on, for dear life, for the draw. Red Card to Estudiantes.

At this point, Estudiantes began to play the counter attack with Benitez’ precise passing and Mauro Boselli’s speed but nothing really came of it. Argentinos had settled in and was able to control Estudiantes advances into their territory.

Final Score: 1-1. No winners.

I had this match going to Argentinos 2-1 and I was almost right if the ball had only crossed the line. Estudiantes was as organized as I thought and the rough play from both sides was enough to break any team’s concentration. Boselli did not score.

It has been well over two decades for both these clubs to be in this stage of any international competition so look for them to take each other apart in the next match. And by next match, I don’t mean the one they’ll play at the Maradona on Sunday, I mean the one in one week’s time.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors vs. Club Estudiantes de La Plata (Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, La Paternal, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

LIVE @ 3pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

I have to keep reminding myself that in order to get to the Semis, Argentinos had to take out some quality opponents. But Estudiantes did not have an easy road themselves but did face, including Argentinos, a few clubs they knew pretty well. And as luck would have it, these two will be seeing each other for their next three matches, between the Sudamericana and the Argentine Clausura.

Both teams have had former glories. Estudiantes won the Copa Libertadores in 1968, 69 and 70, beating Manchester United in the Intercontinental Cup in 68. Keep in mind that these included home and away legs, with Manchester United having to play at Boca’s La Bombonera where they lost 1-0 and Estudiantes earned a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Nowadays, Ferguson’s team wouldn’t set foot on South American soil for nothing less than a very large briefcase of cold, hard cash.

Argentinos had their glory days, most of which were actually during my lifetime. They lifted the Copa Libertadores in 1985 and won the Argentine league in 1984 and 85, something that is unheard of from a club with Argentinos’ profile. They also lifted the Copa Interamericana – basically the champs of South America vs. the champs of North America, beating Trinidad’s Defense Force, 1-0.

Argentinos coach, Néstor Gorosito, has settled on the very same line up that sent Palmeiras packing in the Quarter-finals, 1-0 in the first leg, at Palmeiras and 2-0 at home in Buenos Aires. So expect to see that amazing duo of Nicolás Pavlovich and Gabriel Hauche making it a tough night for the Estudiantes back line.

Estudiantes are playing the best football I’ve seen them play since they stole the 2006 Apertura from under Boca’s nose. Estudiantes added Mauro Boselli and Gastón Fernández to their offensive set and it has been exactly what they were missing. They beat Botafogo in La Plata 2-0 and then drew 2-2 with two big away goals in Rio de Janeiro.

This Estudiantes side is littered with hard nosed, tough players that fight for every ball and rally around each other during tough times. At the Estadio Diego Maradona, most teams have trouble settling in to the smaller dimensions of the pitch and it has proven to be their undoing in this Sudamericana. But in this case, Estudiantes’ pitch is only slightly larger.

In this match, we will see two of the five leading goalscorers – Alex got #4 last night – in this competition. Boselli for Estudiantes has 4 and so does Pavlovich for Argentinos. If we are lucky, we’ll see one of them break ahead of the pack. BTW, Alex, Pavlovich and Boselli are the only active goalscorers still in this competition.

Bottom Line: These two sides know each other very well since they play each other twice a year. The last meeting between the two sides on May 4th, Argentinos beat Estudiantes on their ground 2-1. Estudiantes doesn’t have a good record against the home side on this pitch. The last time they beat Argentinos here was in the 2004 Apertura, 1-0. Also, keep in mind that the furthest that Estudiantes have had to travel in this competition was to Rio de Janeiro and from La Plata, that’s maybe a two hour flight.

The way I see it, the match could go one of two ways. Because they are both Argentine squads, this could be an ugly, Liverpool – Chelsea, Champions League Semi-final, type of match or it could be a bit more open and flowing as a good match like this should be. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for the latter.

My Pick: 2-1 to Argentinos. I know, I know, it’s the safe bet but I really think that Argentinos can get a leg up in this competition and go into La Plata for the second leg. Boselli will get goal #5 and try to keep Pavlovich and Alex of Inter at bay. Not sure if Pavlovich will score but I expect him to give it hell.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

With almost full strength sides, both Chivas and Inter came out to win in tonight’s match. But it was Inter who came on like gangbusters in this first leg of the Semi-finals and got a surprising result, one that I was surely wasn’t expecting. But, as usual, Chivas did not go down without putting up a hell of a fight. As it turned out, this turned out to be the battle of near misses.

Early on in the first half, Chivas dominated play while Inter seemed lost and unable to settle into the pitch at the Estadio Jalisco. Inter played a modest formation at first, hoping to hit pay dirt on a counterattack, so as you can imagine, this gave Chivas plenty of space to work, something they took full advantage of against River.

But while Chivas did dominate, they did not arrive at the front door of goal guarded by Inter keeper Lauro. In fact, it was Inter who were the first to create the first near miss. Using Nilmar’s breakneck speed, who was stymied by a great save on the part of Chivas keeper, Victor Hernández. It took almost half an hour for Chivas to come knocking at Lauro’s door, when Omar Arellano (who else?) was left alone with nothing between him and the net only for him to strike it wide.

Near the end of the first half, Alex had another close call off a free kick but nothing came of it since Hernández was able to keep it out. Moments later Alex and Nilmar combined on a wonderful play and again Hernández came up big.

Before the end of the half, controversy reared it’s ugly head when referee Carlos Torres whistled a foul near the Inter penalty area and then ended the half without allowing Chivas to take the kick.

In the second half, Chivas’ poor defensive marking began to show. Without their star defender and national team player, Johnny Magallón, Chivas gave up two early opportunities one to Magrao just five minutes in and the other to Nilmar only one minute later.

But not to be outdone, on the other end, Arellano wasted another chance to get his boys on the scoresheet, something that we would get accustomed to seeing in this match.

But only moments after this, off a great pass by Magrao – who came up big along with Alex and we hardly missed D’Alessandro – Nilmar was able to finally break the deadlock. He went wide left and juked Héctor Reynoso who ended up giving Nilmar just a few inches and the Brazilian didn’t hesitate. He got off a monster of a left-footed shot that beat Hernández and gave his side the lead and the all important away goal. 1-0 to Inter.

With the goal the match got exciting. Lots of back and forth, both sides had plenty of opportunities to get to the other’s penalty area with the only difference being that Chivas let all of their’s slip away. Arellano had a clear header, unhindered by a defensive marker and sent it over the crossbar. Five minutes later, Sergio Santana had a chance to score but couldn’t get a shot off.

But only 10 minutes after scoring the first, the Brazilian side extended their lead. Off a free kick just outside the penalty area, Alex buried the ball in the goal past an unbelieving Hernández. The kick was a spectacular bending shot, take a look, Brazilian national team here he comes 2-0 to Inter.

The match played itself out much as it did in the beginning, with Inter defending with remarkable solvency and Chivas trying to keep possession and make something happen. At the end of the night though, Inter had just a bit more luck with their opportunities than their opponents and that, I believe, was the big difference. Because if we counted up all the goals Chivas missed, they could have easily have won this match.

Final Score: 2-0 to Sport Club Internaciónal. One foot in the final.

I had this match going 2-1 to the home side. I figured Chivas would give up at least one goal but expected them to score two, despite Inter’s very good and organized defense. Instead the story is turned on it’s head and Inter were the one’s keeping the clean sheet for their keeper and scoring on more than one occasion.

This result leaves Chivas with a pretty cold, hard uphill battle for the second leg in Porto Alegre. But they will have one advantage in that match, Alex will not be available. National team coach Dunga called him up for the friendly against Portugal and Inter will have to do without him. We can expect to see D’Alessandro back in action by then to see if he can make up for Alex’s absence.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.

Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) vs. Sport Club Internaciónal (Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico)

LIVE @ 4pm PST on Fox Sports Español. Gamecast here. Online TV here.

After having taken care of River Plate in the Quarter-finals, beating them away and then drawing the home leg, Chivas will host Inter of Porto Alegre tonight at the Estadio Jalisco for their Semi-final clash in the Copa Sudamericana. Chivas should field an almost completely full strength side, where Inter will be missing a key injury that could make the difference in this match.

Trying to become the 2nd Mexican side to win a CONMEBOL tournament – Pachuca won the 2006 edition of the Sudamericana over Chilean side Colo Colo – Chivas are coming into this one with their best possible form since the end of the summer.

While they are not a dazzling team playing side, they are explosive on the offensive side. With Ramón Morales on the ball on the left and Omar Arellano on the right, they have been known to pounce on 50/50 passes and make their opponents pay. With that said, tonight should be a completely offensive set for Chivas, since they are at home they will attempt to hit Inter with all their firepower.

While they will be almost full strength, they will be without the services of Johnny Magallón, who had a fracture in his arm that was recently operated on.

Chivas is coming off a poor season in Mexico where they sit 2nd from the bottom of their group and have a minimal chance of qualifying for the Quarter-finals. Coach Efrain Flores won’t admit it, but it’s obvious that Chivas have made the Sudamericana their priority.

Sitting in 6th place in the Brasileirao, Inter has arrived at Guadalajara without their star midfield play maker, Andrés D’Alessandro, who was the victim of food poisoning from an empanada he ate and is not expected to be fully recovered by game time. D’Alessandro attempted to travel with his teammates but was not well enough to and his wife had to come and pick him up. His condition was so bad that he even spent some time in the hospital. Word was they were going to have him travel yesterday but Andrés is still in Porto Alegre today.

Inter coach Tité will try to patch the void left by D’Alessandro’s absence with Daniel Carvalho, former CSKA Moscow player on loan to Inter. Still though, without D’Alessandro, Inter are a very dangerous and very organized side. Also, pound per pound, Inter’s players are far more technically gifted than the Mexican side’s players but that’s nothing new, River’s players were supposedly better and they advanced ahead of the Argentine giants.

With Nilmar on the attack, Chivas defenders will not able to rest easy because of D’Alessandro’s absence. Also, don’t forget that Alex scored two fantastic long range goals in the 1st, home leg in Porto Alegre against Boca Juniors.

Both teams have said they are coming out to win this one but Inter would do well enough with a draw, preferably a draw with some goals in there, since they could close out this series at home. Chivas should try to get a lead they can carry with them into Porto Alegre to defend.

Bottom Line: From what I saw from both of these sides in the Quarters, Inter, to me, have the advantage. And I know I’ve said before not to underestimate the Mexican sides in a CONMEBOL competition but really, Inter were impressive against Boca – mind you, I am aware it was not Boca’s best 11 – and really looked far more organized and put together in the home and away legs. Still, Chivas have an outside chance of getting the win here since they are at home and can be deadly on the counter or even when they have possession. They have only three wins in six matches in this tournament, advancing on away goals but the same goes for Inter. Their big wins were in the aforementioned matches against Boca and then they have four draws in six matches.

My Pick: 2-1 to Chivas. I think Chivas will defend their ground and get a slight lead, Inter cannot keep them from scoring but Chivas won’t keep them from scoring, keep an eye on the long crosses into Chivas’ box.

The winner of this series, faces the winner of the other Semi-final between Estudiantes de La Plata and Argentinos Juniors.

Feel free to check the CONMEBOL website for results and information about upcoming matches and for those of you in need of a bracket to get your heads around the competition, get an updated one here.