Corinthians had two men sent off and conceded a late goal to crash out of the Copa Libertadores following a 1-0 home defeat to Paraguay’s Guarani on Wednesday.
Fullback Fabio Santos was sent off for a nasty challenge in the 52nd minute and Jadson followed him 17 minutes later after appearing to slap an opponent as the home side’s frustration boiled over against resolute opponents.
Guarani took full advantage of their numerical advantage when Fernando Fernandez slotted home a stoppage-time winner to secure a remarkable 3-0 aggregate win for the modest Paraguayan club.
Photo: Reuters
Guarani’s best performance to date in South America’s equivalent of the Champions League came in 1966 when they reached the semi-finals.
They had not reached the round-of-16 since 1997 and have only a fraction of the resources of their Brazilian opponents with their 1-0 win putting the finishing touches on a miserable night for Sao Paulo clubs.
Earlier in the evening, Corinthians’ city rivals Sao Paulo were also eliminated by fellow Brazilians Cruzeiro, who won 4-3 on penalties after the hosts edged the game by a single goal to level the aggregate score at 1-1.
Photo: AP
Leandro Damiao got the crucial goal after 54 minutes, before goalkeeper Fabio took over the role of hero, saving two Sao Paulo spot-kicks in the shoot-out, including one from forward Luis Fabiano.
In the night’s other tie, Internacional defeated Atletico Mineiro 3-1 at home to qualify 5-3 on aggregate.
Argentine pair Lisandro Lopez and Andres d’Alessandro got two of Inter’s goals and in-form midfielder Valdivia added a third. Lucas Pratto, got Atletico’s consolation.
Atletico Mineiro were the last Brazilian side to win the Copa in 2013, a year after Corinthians won it for the first time.
Inter face Colombia’s Independiente Santa Fe in the quarter-finals after they knocked out Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata on Tuesday.
Cruzeiro next face the winners of the River Plate-Boca Juniors match. River are 1-0 up from the first leg and were due to face their rivals at the Bombonera in Buenos Aires yesterday.
Guarani are to play the winners of the tie between Montevideo Wanderers and Racing Club.
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