Cuca rues Santos’ 2-2 draw after substitution confusion in Copa Sudamericana | OneFootball

Cuca rued Santos’ 2-2 draw with San Lorenzo at Vila Belmiro, saying a substitution mix-up contributed to the Copa Sudamericana result on Wednesday 20.

According to Diario Do Peixe, he said the Argentines’ second goal arrived while Santos had a player fewer, with midfielder Oliva leaving and forward Lautaro Díaz set to come on, only for the change to be held up by officials. San Lorenzo took a quick restart and equalised.

Cuca added that Lautaro was ready and paperwork had been submitted, yet the fourth official delayed the swap as Santos took a goal kick and even threatened a booking. He described the episode as painful and felt his side lacked the necessary nous for a game of that level.

There have been previous issues around changes. In the 2-2 draw with Bahia at Fonte Nova in the 13th round of the Brasileirão, play was halted for minutes amid confusion over substitutions. In the 3-0 defeat to Coritiba at Neo Química Arena in the 16th round, a mistaken change involving Neymar Jr led the club to file for the game to be annulled.

Bruno Mota Correia was the fourth official for the matches against Coxa and Tricolor de Aço. Versus San Lorenzo, the fourth official was Venezuelan Carlos Parra and the referee assessor was Paraguayan Manuel Bernal.

Source: Diario Do Peixe