 |
|
||
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
   |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Palmeiras stun Atletico Nacional
 Palmeiras celebrate their opening goal from Correa (left). RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Palmeiras pulled off a surprise 2-1 away win at Atletico Nacional to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Libertadores Cup. On a night when missile-throwing fans marred two games, three-times winners Nacional were held 0-0 at home by Internacional. Peruvian champions Sporting Cristal were held to a 2-2 home draw by Estudiantes. Correa put Palmeiras ahead direct from a free kick and then provided the cross for Leonardo Silva to head home the second .Carlos Diaz replied in injury time. Palmeiras, winners in 1999 under Luiz Felipe Scolari, went into their game in Colombia with a dismal run of domestic results behind them and with veteran striker Edmundo missing through injury. However, the Brazilians needed only 24 minutes to take control and after their goals striker Washington twice struck the crossbar before a stunned 45,000 crowd at the Atanasio Girardot stadium. Atletico Nacional came to life after halftime as Hugo Soto, Gerardo Bedoya and Sergio Galvan all forced superb saves from Palmeiras goalkeeper Sergio. By the time Carlos Diaz scrambled home Atletico's goal in the fourth minute of injury-time, it was too late. Palmeiras went top of Group 7 with nine points from five games, overtaking Atletico Nacional who have seven. Paraguayan champions Cerro Porteno follow with five and have a game in hand, at home to Rosario Central on Thursday. Riot police were forced to protect Palmeiras players taking corners in the first half as Atletico fans hurled cups of water and transistor radios on to the field. There was a similar incident in Montevideo where Uruguay's Nacional and Brazil's Internacional were involved in a dramatic Group 6 match which had everything except goals. At one stage, Nacional captain Marco Vanzini appealed to fans behind the Internacional goal to stop throwing objects after a stone landed near visiting goalkeeper Clemer. Nacional striker Juan Albin had a shot turned around the post by Clemer and Luis Suarez struck the post in the last minute as the hosts pressed for a winner. Looked threateningInternacional always looked threatening on the break, their best chance falling to striker Wason Renteria midway through the second. Internacional stayed top with 11 points from five games, three ahead of UA Maracaibo and Nacional, needing only a point in their last game at home to UA Maracaibo to qualify. Peruvian champions Sporting Cristal, who threw away a 3-0 lead and lost 4-3 to Estudiantes in the first meeting between the sides, twice led in Lima but were pegged back each time in Group 2. Jorge Soto opened the scoring with a 19th minute penalty but the Argentines leveled in the 34th from close range after a blunder by Erick Delgado. The Cristal goalkeeper tried to punch away a corner but instead sent it straight to the lurking Mariano Pavone, who tapped in from close range. Substitute William Chiroque put Cristal back in front after 75 minutes only for Estudiantes -- winners in 1968, 1969 and 1970 -- to hit back again in the 88th minute when 35-year-old striker Jose Luis Calderon volleyed home Pavone's looping ball into the area. The draw left all four teams in the group, which also includes Colombia's Santa Fe and Bolivia's Bolivar, level on seven points with one match each to play. 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
