“Allan was shown a yellow card for a foul, an early sign of Cerro Porteño's physical approach as they struggled to match Palmeiras technically and resorted to stopping them through aggression.”
“Jhon Arias broke the deadlock for Palmeiras, finishing coolly to give the Brazilian side a well-deserved lead that reflected their dominance through the opening half hour.”
Pivotal“Carlos Miguel gifted Cerro Porteño a leveller with a calamitous own goal, deflecting the ball into his own net and undoing the hard work Palmeiras had put in over 72 minutes of play.”
Pivotal“Juan Iturbe picked up a yellow card deep in stoppage time for a foul, a frustrated end to an evening in which the substitute had been unable to make the decisive contribution Cerro needed to win.”
Cerro Porteño
Palmeiras
Outstanding performance
Palmeiras•MidfielderPalmeiras dominated this Copa Libertadores group stage encounter from start to finish, controlling 66 percent of possession, completing 575 passes to Cerro Porteño's 286, and fashioning four big chances to the Paraguayan side's one. Jhon Arias gave the Brazilian giants a deserved lead just before the half-hour mark, and for long stretches it looked like a second would arrive to kill the tie. Instead, the match was turned on its head in the 72nd minute when goalkeeper Carlos Miguel deflected a cross or attempt into his own net, gifting Cerro Porteño an equaliser that their statistics barely merited. The hosts, who made a flurry of late substitutions to inject energy, had managed just three shots on target all evening and were thoroughly second best for most of the 90 minutes — yet they leave with a point that complicates Palmeiras' ambitions of topping the group. For Palmeiras, the frustration lies in converting only one of four big chances and conceding in the most avoidable of fashions; Cerro Porteño's 27 tackles underline how hard they worked defensively to stay in the contest.
How entertaining was this match?
Rodrigo Melgarejo comes on for Lucas Ariel Quintana Rodriguez.
Cesar Bobadilla comes on for Fabricio Dominguez.
Mauricio Magalhaes Prado takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Jose Manuel Lopez takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Felipe Anderson Pereira Gomes comes on for Allan.
Jefte replaces Arthur Marcolino.
Khellven Douglas Silva Oliveira comes on for Agustin Giay.
Lucas Evangelista replaces Jhon Arias.
Mauricio Magalhaes Prado is on, and Ramon Sosa Acosta is off.
Jose Manuel Lopez's header is saved.
Ramon Sosa Acosta takes a right-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Fabrizio Peralta is on, and Jonathan Torres is off.
Juan Manuel Iturbe Arevalos takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Carlos MiguelOwn goal by Carlos Miguel levels the score at 1-1.
Juan Manuel Iturbe Arevalos replaces Rodrigo Gomez.
Matias Perez's header is saved.
Jose Manuel Lopez takes a left-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Jonathan Torres takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Jonathan Torres takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Jonathan Torres takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Mateo Klimowicz takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Mateo Klimowicz comes on for Wílder Viera.
The first half ends with a score of 0-1.
Jhon AriasJhon Arias scores with a left-footed shot.
Jhon AriasGoal! Jhon Arias scores to make it 1-0.
Allan takes a left-footed shot that hits the post.
Murilo Cerqueira Paim's header is blocked.
Jose Manuel Lopez takes a left-footed shot, but it's saved.
Arthur Gabriel takes a left-footed shot but misses.
AllanYellow CardAllan receives a yellow card.
Agustin Giay takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Jonathan Torres takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Jonathan Torres takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Arthur Gabriel takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Cerro Porteño host group leaders Palmeiras at La Nueva Olla in a Copa Libertadores clash where the Paraguayan hosts must defy a daunting head-to-head record to stay in contention. Palmeiras arrive in commanding form and top of the group, but Cerro Porteño's home fortress could make this a tighter battle than history suggests.
