Goooooolllll Thiago Neves! Cruzeiro playing much better, much more dangerous, and now leading 1x0. We need more, given that the second game is in São Paulo.
So wait a second ... the ref gave a PK that wasn't and then disallowed a goal for a non-existent call with the assistance of VAR ? Are you kidding me ? I guess both errors cancelled each other. Seriously ... WTF ??? How do you review those plays and get the call wrong ? It's ridiculous. These refs are seriously THAT incompetent. Not to mention the ref that messed up the SF between Palmeiras x Cruzeiro as well by disallowing our tying goal in the first game where he could have let it go and used VAR. But now I think he would have just disallowed it anyways. Anyways ... congrats Cruzeiro.
About the VAR, yes, ridiculous decisions, but yes, they don't take anything from Cruzeiro's victory, because they cancelled each other, given that they were one against each team. Corinthians should not have scored their goal because there was no penalty, but the other one they did score should have counted. Without the VAR mistakes, the final score would have been 2x1 for Cruzeiro anyway, and Cruzeiro did create more opportunities in both games, fully deserving the win and the title. Egregious is the fact that against Boca, clear incidents that should have been reviewed by VAR were not reviewed, greatly hindering Cruzeiro's chances, starting with removing from the first game Dedé, Cruzeiro's best player (a monster in the final against Corinthians, both in defense and offense); which CONMEBOL did reverse, but just to see Dedé being persecuted by the ref in the second game and sent out again, not to forget several ref decisions in both games that wrongly went against Cruzeiro, which would have changed the scores if called correctly. Cruzeiro was the victim of organized theft to be kicked out of the Libertadores, which as we know, traditionally favors the Spanish-speaking countries in South America (not to forget, CONMEBOL is mad at CBF because of the vote for Morocco rather than for the North American bid for the World Cup, so, beware Grêmio and Palmeiras; this Libertadores will go to Boca Juniors or River Plate; the refs will make sure of that). There was a funny meme by ex Palmeiras goalie Marcos, showing people with their eyes covered, "VAR graduation class." The problem with VAR is that it doesn't cancel corruption in South American soccer. When the refs want to influence the result, they do it, VAR or not.
Well ... CONMEBOL cancelled his red card for the 2nd game, so I am not sure it was CONMEBOL robbery. Yes, the damage was done in the 1st game but it's looking more and more these refs are just that damn bad (or that damn corrupt themselves) that even on a replay that we find it easy they are getting it wrong. I'd also say in the 2nd game vs Boca Dede went in with his foot chest high and brushed the GK and nothing was called. Extremely dangerous play could have been a red. Yes Cruzeiro deserved the title. But I am just very surprised how badly these refs are using VAR.