First Legs Complete in Copa Libertadores Last 16

The fist legs of the Copa Libertadores knockout round were played this week, and two already juicy encounters just got juicier. In the big Argentina vs Brazil encounter (above) Boca Juniors beat Cruzeiro 2-1 at La Bombanera. Sort of. The game was actually abandoned with one minute to play when a linesman had his forehead cut open by a flying ice cube. Interestingly, the flagman wasn’t in front of the regular rowdy Boca fans, but in front of the expensive VIP boxes (where a certain number 10 literally hangs out.) Still, at least that means it was an expensive ice cube.

Seems the result will stand, though Boca may face repurcussions in the future such as home stadium bans. We’ll see what COMNEBOL has to say about it.

Meanwhile, in the all Argentina clash, San Lorenzo emerged from the first leg with a 2-1 win home over River Plate thanks to an 87th minute penalty. The return leg at the Monumental should be quite the ocassion.

Here are the complete Copa Libertadores last 16 first leg results:

Atlético Nacional 1-2 Fluminese
Nacional de Montevideo 0-0 São Paulo
Lanús 0-1 Atlas
Boca Juniors 2-1 Cruzeiro
América 2-4 Flamengo
Santos FC 2-0 Cúcuta Deportivo
San Lorenzo 2-1 River Plate
Liga de Quito 2-0 Estudiantes

Second legs are next week. For more on South America’s biggest and bestest club competition, pay a visit to Copa Libertadores Offside.

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Category: South America