Peñarol pulls off an upset in Copa Libertadores after beating Flamengo at home

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Javier Cabrera scored a first-half goal on Thursday and Peñarol pulled off an upset after beating Flamengo 1-0 at home in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal match.

Cabrera scored inside the box to the far post on a cross from Maximiliano Silvera in the 13th minute for the Uruguayans, who are the underdogs in the series.

Peñarol defeated Flamengo at Maracana stadium in a Copa Libertadores match for the first time since 2019, when they faced off in the group stage. It will meet the winner of the series between Botafogo and Sao Paulo, which is tied 0-0 after the first leg.

In the other quarterfinals, River Plate is tied 1-1 and reigning champion Fluminense is ahead 1-0 over Atletico Mineiro.

Peñarol, five-time Copa Libertadores champions, has struggled in the last editions and this year has reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, when the team was runner-up.

Flamengo spent over $50 million in the offseason attempting to build a contender that could compete for their fourth Copa Libertadores title.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer