RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Vinicius Moreira de Lima came off the bench to score a goal in the second half on Wednesday and reigning champion Fluminense defeated fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro 1-0 in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal.
Moreira de Lima, who entered the match in the 64th minute as a substitute for Matheus Martinelli, scored in the 87th minute with a header on a cross from Marcos Da Silva to secure the win.
The match was played at Maracana stadium while the second leg will be held at Belo Horizonte next Wednesday.
The winner of the series will play either Chile’s Colo Colo or River Plate, who are facing off in another quarterfinal. The Argentinians lead the matchup 1-0.
Fluminense won the title in 2023 for the first time and gave Brazil the fifth Copa Libertadores crown in a row. Flamengo (2019 and 2022) and Palmeiras (2020 and 2021) won it before them.
Also on Wednesday, Sao Paulo had a 0-0 draw visiting Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro.
Sao Paulo won the tournament in 1992, 1993 and 2005 but it has not made it to the final four since 2016. The second leg will be played next Wednesday in Sao Paulo, where the team is undefeated in four matches this tournament.
In the other quarterfinal series Flamengo takes on Peñarol on Thursday.
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