Cruzeiro of Brazil and Estudiantes of Argentina sealed places in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals on Thursday, while Boca Juniors were held to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their delayed round of 16 match at Defensor Sporting of Uruguay.
Seven of the quarter-finalists in Latin America’s premier club competition have now been decided.
Cruzeiro and Estudiantes join Brazilian clubs Gremio, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo, plus Nacional of Uruguay and Caracas of Venezuela.
PHOTO: AP
The final spot will be decided when Boca and Defensor play their return leg in the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires next Thursday.
The first leg was postponed because the stadium in Montevideo was unavailable until this week.
Nacional and Sao Paulo received byes after Mexican clubs San Luis and Guadalajara withdrew from the competition because of the swine flu epidemic.
In the quarter-final matches decided, Gremio will play Caracas, Cruzeiro are against Sao Paulo, Nacional will take on Palmeiras and Estudiantes will meet the winner of Boca and Defensor. The first legs will be played later this month.
The home-and-away Copa Libertadores finals are scheduled for July 1 and July 8.
Cruzeiro striker Kleber scored the only goal of the game in Belo Horizonte against Universidad de Chile to give the Brazilian club a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Kleber scored in the 74th minute after receiving a pass from Ramires and hitting a weak shot that Universidad goalkeeper Miguel Pinto should have saved.
The Chilean club needed a victory to have any chance of progressing, but Cruzeiro completely dominated the encounter.
In Asuncion, Estudiantes produced a controlled away performance to hold Libertad to a 0-0 draw. Mauro Boselli had two clear opportunities in each half to give Estudiantes a win on the night, but the 3-0 victory last Thursday in the first leg in La Plata proved enough for the Argentine club to advance.
Boca Juniors will be favorites to clinch the last remaining quarter-final berth after scoring two away goals in the draw with Defensor Sporting.
The result could have been even better for the Argentine club after Martin Palermo opened the scoring with a volley after 3 minutes.
Pablo Gaglianone scored from a corner to equalize for Defensor just before halftime, but Rodrigo Palacio put Boca back in front in the 57th minute.
Boca looked comfortable, but a defensive lapse allowed Rodrigo Mora to get free at the back post for an 83rd-minute header that leveled the score again.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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