Copa Libertadores set to be 3rd straight all-Brazil final

SAO PAULO (AP) — The Copa Libertadores closing is about to be an all-Brazilian affair for the third yr in a row after this week’s first leg of the semifinals.

Flamengo crushed Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield away 4-0 on Wednesday. Striker Pedro scored within the thirty second, 61st and 83rd minutes. Everton Ribeiro additionally netted for the Rio de Janeiro membership within the final minute of the primary half.

Palmeiras misplaced 1-0 to Athletico Paranaense however the defending champions are nonetheless the favourite to advance for a probable rematch of final yr’s closing on Oct. 29 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Athletico’s hard-fought win got here because of a objective by Alex Santana within the twenty third minute. It was Palmeiras’ first defeat on this yr’s version of the Copa Libertadores.

The second legs will probably be performed subsequent week.

Palmeiras beat Flamengo 2-1 in final yr’s decider. Within the earlier version, the Sao Paulo workforce beat its native rival Santos 1-0 on the Maracana Stadium.

Since Argentina’s River Plate gained the Copa Libertadores in 2018, solely Brazilian groups have captured essentially the most prestigious membership match in South America. Flamengo beat River in 2019 within the newest closing with a non-Brazilian workforce enjoying the decider.

One Brazilian workforce will certainly be on the Copa Sudamericana closing, too. Sao Paulo will face Atletico Goianiense on Thursday. On the opposite facet of the bracket, Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle beat Peru’s Melgar 3-0 of their first leg on Wednesday.

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Extra AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Mauricio Savarese, The Related Press