Julián Fernández, the teenager who makes Vélez think big in Copa Libertadores

On January 3 of this year, Giuliano Fernandez reached the age of majority. Yes, only 18 years old. And in these quarter-finals, in Liniers and Córdoba, he played and defined a midfielder expert and a thousand battles. In the Giuseppe Amalfitania week ago when laboratories managed to raise a 2-0, it looked like the night was coming for the team of Cacique Medina He shows up in the area to push Perrone’s pass, another Inferiores product, and put the key 3-2 to continue believing in it. And in Cordoba, in the stadium Mario Alberto KempesFernandez enters as always for Orellano and, in the 34th minute of the second half, scores the decisive goal to qualify for the semifinals with a coolness worthy of a player who has a great future.

For the third time in its history, Vélez is among the top four in the ranking Libertadores Cupbeyond the antecedent of the semifinal round that he played in the 1980 Libertadores. Now he will play with the powerful flamingofirst in Lineers later this month and then in Rio de Janeiro in the first week of September.

The Loud He has two previous semifinal records, the first in 1994. After winning the Clausura 93 after 25 years, Carlos Bianchi’s team has dropped by one point and jumped to the bench. They made it through the group stage against names like Mouth, Cruzeiro Y palms. then it happened Sports defender of Uruguay in the round of 16 Minerven of Venezuela in quarters. And in the semifinals, he went on the way to Junior from Barranquilla and won the final against the powerful St. Paul from Brasil. It is, so far, his only Copa Libertadores.

Julián Fernández was born almost 10 years after that consecration. And he was just 7 when Vélez played a semifinal for the second time, in 2011, with Ricardo Gareca as coach, against Peñarol, in which case he was left without a final due to an incredible penalty missed by Tanque Santiago Silva when the match was 2-1 and had to win 3-1 to enter the final.

Julián Fernández, despite looking like a veteran, made his debut in the Primera de Vélez this year. It was February 20, for the third date of the Professional League Cup, in a 0-0 against Independiente, a match in which he entered with a minute from the end for Luca Orellano and was immediately reprimanded. The coach was Maurizio Pellegrino.

On the way to the final, Vélez had his own turbulent moments, which jeopardized the group stage standings. Sausage Pellegrino was forced to resign when Vélez had not yet sealed his place in the round of 16. He temporarily took over Indian Giulio Vaccariwith which the team achieved a historic victory against Nacional de Montevideo at the Gran Parque Central for 3-2, very similar to the victory a week ago in Liniers.

Then came the Cacicco Alexander Medina, with his parchments obtained with the Talleres de Córdoba, fighting for the local tournament, the final of the Copa Argentina with Boca and the qualification for this Copa Libertadores. Curiosity of fate, the Uruguayan has left out the team he built and qualified.

Julián Fernández, the hero of the evening at the Kempes stadium, received a lift from Lucas Janson, the hero of the first leg at Liniers. He dominated the ball, evaded Herrera and defined with a soft and exquisite touch the 1-0 celebrated by Córdoba to Liniers and in all corners of the country where there are fortineros that have multiplied since the 90s.

Before there was a very close match, with a dominant Talleres and a Vélez grouped together to reach the final goal. At the beginning there was also an intervention by the VAR, which canceled a goal from Pratto for a previous hand ball by Lucas Janson. Subsequently, the local team suffered greatly from the pressure of its people, those nearly 60,000 souls who were enthusiastic about making history and who, despite the frustration, recognized what they had achieved. Now it’s up to Vélez, who wants to double his bet against Flamengo.