Peñarol took a major step towards the Copa Libertadores semifinals with a superb first-leg win against Flamengo at the Maracanã.
Scorers: Cabrera 13′
The hosts dominated the ball in the early going but appeared to be passing for passing’s sake – and that lack of a cutting edge came back to bite them just 13 minutes into the clash.
Peñarol’s rip-roaring counter-attacks were a problem from the get-go for Flamengo, and it didn’t take long for Javier Cabrera to cap one off and snatch the lead for the visitors, albeit from a scuffed attempt on goal.
Flamengo pushed to pull level on the night and in the tie, but the final pass was consistently missing from the Brazilian outfit.
Diego Aguirre’s side pulled out all of the tricks to help the clock on it’s way to 90 minutes, killing the momentum of the affair at every turn, much to the chagrin of the raucous Flamengo crowd as time ran out on the hosts’ comeback efforts.
It’s not the end of the road just yet however, as the tie will now move to the Campeón del Siglo for the second-leg next week.