MY ACCOUNT
Palmeiras secured their progression to the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday, trouncing Cerro Porteno 5-0 in Sao Paulo.
Coming into the second leg with a 3-0 lead on aggregate, the Verdao eventually extended it to 8-0 over two legs with four goals in the final 20 minutes on Wednesday, following Braian Samudio’s own goal in the first half.
Francisco Arce’s side did little to put the two-time reigning Libertadores champions on the back foot, failing to generate a shot in open play in the penalty area over the 90 minutes despite the majority of possession.
Launches up the pitch from Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton resulted in late goals, with Rony scoring in the 73rd minutes and then assisting for Breno Lopes with a deft back-heel two minutes later.
Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gomez scored what would be a cherished goal against his boyhood club Libertad’s rivals to make it 4-0 in the 78th minute, before Breno returned the favour for Rony to round out the scoring in the 83rd.
Abel Ferreira’s side will now meet Atletico Mineiro in the quarter-finals, after they progressed past Emelec on Tuesday.
Second-half barrage sees Flamengo through
Flamengo set up a high-profile quarter-final with Corinthians in the late game on Wednesday, smashing Deportes Tolima 7-1 in Rio de Janeiro in their second-leg clash.
Dorival Junior’s side confirmed an 8-1 win on aggregate over two legs, scoring five goals in the second half at the Maracana.
Pedro bagged a poker on the night, putting the two-time Libertadores winners up 1-0 in only the fifth minute, before helping put the aggregate result beyond doubt in the second half with another three goals.
Velez knock out River in huge upset
Even after Corinthians eliminated Boca Juniors at La Bombonera on Tuesday, Velez Sarsfield claimed the last-16’s biggest scalp, progressing past River Plate with a 0-0 draw on Wednesday in Buenos Aires.
Julio Vaccari’s side absorbed pressure and looked relatively comfortable at the Monumental, against a River side that grew increasingly short of ideas.
Despite 71.1 per cent of possession in the second half, in what will likely be Julian Alvarez’s last game for the club before completing his move to Manchester City, River Plate did not generate a shot in the penalty area from open play in the final 30 minutes.
