What is it with this Universidad de Chile side? 25 games unbeaten, a Chilean record broken for consecutive minutes without conceding in international competition, a 4-0 destruction of Flamengo in Brazil and on Sunday in the Superclásico rescuing a draw in the 101st minute despite playing the whole of the second half with not eleven, not ten but nine men. And I haven’t mentioned the talent in the team or the vibrancy in the side’s play.
Now – thanks to a hard-fought performance – the club’s first ever competitive win on Argentine soil.
Arsenal are the antithesis of their English namesake; set up in a 4-4-1-1 shape they favour a direct approach, two traditional wingers in Diego Torres and Juan Pablo Caffa supporting a front two of Emilio Zelaya and the target-man and focal point of the Arsenal attack Mauro Obolo, charged with holding the ball up. The midfield base of Jorge Ortíz and Iván Marcone play a simple game, if one goes forward to support the other stays to protect the defence; essential with the forward runs of both full-backs.
By now we all know how Universidad de Chile like to play; a fast possession based game, suiting their diminutive personnel while putting pressure on the opposition when out of possession. The starting line-up was identical to the one which started away to Flamengo. However Matías Rodríguez was pushed into a more advanced role down the left, making a 3-1-3-1-2 almost as you can see from the formation diagram.
The performance was unlike the one in Brazil the previous round; Arsenal not allowing the plethora of attacking talent – which La U possess – the space in which they can run rings around the opposition. Instead they were drawn into a battle that got feisty and niggly as the game wore on.
The Red One 