Corinthians and Atletico Mineiro advance in Copa Libertadores
SMA NEWS – BRAZILIA
Corinthians progressed to the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday without the injured Willian, going through 6-5 on penalties after two goalless legs.
After Boca scraped a draw in the first leg in Sao Paulo, they were given a chance to take the early lead from the spot, after a VAR intervention penalised Raul Gustavo’s errant elbow.
Despite sending Cassio the wrong way, Dario Benedetto smacked his effort against the frame of the goal, critically maintaining parity in the tie.
The 32-year-old had the best chance of the second half for Boca as well, but his chip in transition floated just over when put through by Sebastian Villa.
In the shoot-out, back-to-back penalty saves from Agustin Rossi were not able to save Benedetto, who skied his second penalty before Gil eventually put the Timao through.
Atletico Mineiro left it late but secured their progression to the quarter-finals, defeating Emelec 1-0 in Belo Horizonte to go through 2-1 on aggregate.
Antonio Mohamed’s side struggled for significant portions of the first leg but dominated possession and territory in the return, with 21 shots to six on the night
Hulk’s 79th-minute penalty ultimately proved the difference, calmly slotting past Pedro Ortiz.
Romulo salvages draw and progression for Athletico-PR
Athletico Paranaense snatched a late 1-1 draw in Asuncion, advancing to the quarter-finals by winning 3-2 on aggregate.
The Paraguayan champions forced themselves level on aggregate through veteran Roque Santa Cruz in the fourth minute of first-half injury time, scoring via a wonderful solo dribble and finish.
When the tie looked set for penalties, Romulo dramatically secured passage for Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side, picking up the rebound from his own header to score in the 90th minute.
