Lanús Crumbles Under Altitude, Suffers Heavy Defeat to Always Ready in Copa Libertadores

Lanús faced a harsh reality in the thin air of El Alto, succumbing to a resounding 4-0 defeat against Always Ready in the Copa Libertadores. The altitude, a formidable opponent in itself at 4,100 meters, clearly took its toll on the Granate players, who struggled to adapt throughout the match. This loss significantly jeopardizes their aspirations of reaching the knockout stages of the prestigious tournament.

Coach Mauricio Pellegrino's tactical choices, including deploying midfielder Ramiro Carrera in a forward role, did not yield the desired results. The team found it difficult to maintain possession and defend effectively. Despite the scoreline, goalkeeper Nahuel Losada emerged as a standout performer, making a penalty save early on and denying Always Ready on multiple occasions, preventing an even more lopsided result.

The goals conceded by Lanús highlighted their struggles. A spectacular long-range strike from Richet Gómez, a header from Enrique Triverio just before halftime, and quick goals from Joel Amoroso and Marcelo Suárez in the second half sealed the victory for the Bolivian side. The Argentine team's attempts at a comeback were consistently thwarted, underscoring the difficulty of playing in such extreme conditions.

Looking ahead, Lanús faces another challenging away fixture against LDU Quito. The team must regroup and find a way to overcome these adversities, both in terms of the high-altitude environments and their on-field performance, if they are to salvage their Copa Libertadores campaign. The return leg at home against Mirassol will be crucial for their chances of progression.

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It was a difficult match from the context, at crucial moments they hit us hard.