19 Apr 2009
By Carlos Mauricio Ramirez, Caracas FC Press

The poor state of the pitch, questionable refereeing decisions and fine performances from keepers Alan Liebeskind and Renny Vega all combined to deny either Dvo. Italia or Caracas FC from bagging all three points at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday in the 13th round of the Clausura tournament.

In the first half, the Avila Reds opted for a 4-4-2 formation very similar to that adopted against Everton last Tuesday in the Copa Santander Libertadores clash with the difference being Guillermo Ramirez replacing Giovanny Romero and Emilio Renteria on for Rodrigo Prieto.

Blues manager Eduardo Sarago, meanwhile, was happy enough to go for a flexible formation which attacked 3-4-3 and defended via a 4-3-3 format.  

However, the hosts failed with their attacking option and offered a more physical approach, committing eleven fouls to just eight for the Avila Reds in a dour first-half offering few clear-cut chances on goal.

During the second 45 minutes, manager Noel Sanvicente brought on three substitutes in Torres, Prieto and Valoyes to try and break the deadlock but well-timed interventions from Liebeskind kept the Reds at bay despite the usual loyal and vocal support from the terraces.

On 59 minutes, Caracas received a jolt when Edgar Ramirez, having fired a shot, collapsed to the ground holding the back of his right leg. He was carried off and replaced by Torres but his injury status at the time of writing was not known.

In the 70th minute, a pair of Italia defenders’ hands both made contact with the ball in the box but referee Gustavo Brand, in his final professional match, failed to point to the spot.   

In the final 10 minutes, plenty of pulsating action was there for all to see with both keepers in starring roles ensuring nothing would get past them. Castellin, Figueroa and Valoyes for the Reds and Blanco and Casseres for the Blues had the best chances to convert but none did.  

So the match ended 0-0, a point each, and the Reds going home knowing they drop to second place in the league table following Dvo. Tachira’s 2-1 victory over Aragua FC. The Black and Golds have 28 points to the Reds 27 with four games to go in the Clausura.

Line Ups:   

Deportivo Italia (0) – Alan Liebeskind, Andres Sanchez, Marcelo Maidana, Daniel Diez, Rafael Lobo, Luis Martinez (Francisco Pol 41), Bladimir Morales, Vicente Suanno (Feliz Casseres 83), Jon Aznar (Johnny Salcedo 73), Cristian Casseres and Richard Blanco. Manager: Eduardo Sarago.

Caracas FC (0) – Renny Vega, Guillermo Ramirez, Jose Manuel Rey, Deivis Barone, Gabriel Cichero, Luis Vera, Edgar Jimenez (Gerardo Torres 60), Dario Figueroa, Jesus Gomez (Zamir Valoyes 79), Emilio Renteria (Rodrigo Prieto 66) and Rafael Castellin. Manager: Noel Sanvicente.

Yellow Cards: Andres Sanchez, Bladimir Morales and Cristian Casseres (D.I.), Jesus Gomez (CFC).