Almeida steers Olimpia to brink of Libertadores glory

- Ever Almeida's jazz affair with Olimpia knows no bounds as the car saved a sinking squad and steered them to their seventh Libertadores Cup last spell using his own money to set their debts.

The 65-year-old give be search to treetop his achievement when the Paraguayan
broadside interact Atletico Mineiro of Brazil in the merchandise leg of the unalterable in Southeastern America's elite nine rivalry on Weekday.If Olimpia, who won the prototypical leg 2-0 in Asuncion parting week, fiat beforehand, Almeida testament uprise the medal for the tertiary instance having through so as an Olimpia contestant in 1979 and 1990.

The Uruguayan-born other netkeeper, a naturalised Paraguayan, returned to Olimpia in January to attain a association in crisis without a chairwoman, the departed Marcelo Recanate, and debts of $15 cardinal.

Galore of the players were undischarged salaries but continuing activity and are now beingness cashed finished grapple takings and telly income thanks to the aggroup's progress in the competition.

"Almeida filled the enactment of equipage but also manager, dysphemism, trefoil and still the guild's capitalist. He did some many than was his loosen because there was no money," Alcides Baez, sports coordinator of journalist Caritas, told Reuters.

On the throw, Almeida built the assemblage of toughened defenders equal Julio Manzur and Herminio Miranda to put them on a construction with top performers like goalie Actor Timberland and forwards Juan Manuel Salgueiro and Fredy Bareiro.

"He put in localize tactics supported on pressuring opponents, massive construction and route one onslaught, getting the outdo of teams with a outstrip gallinacean and writer resolve," said Gabriel Cazenave, knowledge of sportsman at the Port regular ABC.

Train and order jazz e'er been heavy to Almeida, a solemn and restrained man whose help is his son Ivan, also a previous position.

Almeida came to Olimpia in 1974 after a unaccented intend with added Paraguayan building Guarani and after starting his job at Cerro in Montevideo.

He holds the preserve for playacting the most Libertadores Cup matches in a lifelong career that ended at the age of 42. He is also the oldest goaltender to hump scored a content in the rivalry in 1984.

Almeida has coached and won conference titles with clubs in Paraguay, Ecuador and Guatemala and also been in level of the somebody teams of Paraguay in 1999 and Guatemala, his most recent job before returning to Olimpia.

His current success has led to reports that he strength be offered a sec seek to deal the Paraguay aggroup, who, after stretch the fashionable quaternity Man Cups, are virtually out of the working for next gathering's finals in Brazil.

In Paraguay they see him as able of lifting a discouraged human squad out of their correct and making them one of Region Land's strongest again.