Goalkeeper switch unsettles Gabriel Arias before Pardo’s last-gasp goal | OneFootball

Gabriel Arias had a series of ups and downs against Peñarol. He barely made it to the first leg and was responsible for David Terans' goal; he was being key in the second leg with his saves that kept the team afloat until Gustavo Costas decided to replace him with Facundo Cambeses in anticipation of potential penalties. He left looking annoyed, barely celebrating and didn't speak to the press after the match.

The Racing goalkeeper and captain was a doubt until the last minute for the first match, played at the Campeón del Siglo, due to a strain in his left hamstring. He finally played and his performance was a focus of criticism, as he was seen as insecure throughout the 90 minutes on a pitch that didn't help. Additionally, he had a high degree of culpability in David Terans' goal: he came out late to block the opponent, who headed comfortably to give the victory to his team.

In the second leg, his performance was totally different and he kept Academia afloat in moments of distress. When the match was 1-0, he made an impressive one-on-one save against Maximiliano Silvera. Seconds later, Nahuel Herrera scored the equalizer, in which Arias had nothing to do.

Towards the end of the match, just before being substituted, he prevented Peñarol's qualification with two crucial saves against Matías Arezo. Initially, he gave a rebound against a right-footed shot and then stopped a somewhat weak header. In fact, in the post-match press conference, Costas stated that Racing advanced because.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.