Libertadores: Boca Juniors on verge of advancing

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- The attacking trio of Juan Roman Riquelme, Martin Palermo and Rodrigo Palacio all scored to help Boca Juniors notch a fourth successive victory in the Copa Libertadores on Thursday, beating Guarani of Paraguay 3-1.

Palermo after 33 minutes, Palacio after 36 and a Riquelme penalty after 85 minutes did the damage in the Bombonera stadium.

Miguel Paniagua scored for the Paraguayan club after 43 minutes.

Boca now leads Group 2 with a perfect 12 points from four games. Only an unlikely combination of results can now keep the Argentine club from qualifying for the knockout stages. Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador and Deportivo Tachira of Venezuela have six points each, while Guarani still has no points.

Guarani's coach lost his job before the match due to the bad results, but the Paraguayan club looked surprisingly defiant in the opening exchanges, pressuring Boca's erratic defense and wayward passing. Interim coach Pedro Sandoval's only complaint would have been the inability to convert scoring chances.

However, Boca went in front when Palermo and Palacio - starting their first game together for eight months due to injury - combined. The duo has scored 148 goals for Boca and linked up when Palacio escaped down the left wing and pulled back for Palermo to slot home.

The second goal arrived when Palermo freed Riquelme in space on the right to cross low to an unmarked Palacio, who scored easily.

Guarani got back into the contest just before half time when Paniagua took advantage of weak Boca challenges to slalom past three defenders on the edge of the box, before rounding goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri and finishing into an empty net.

Boca had to wait until five minutes from time to make sure of the result. Guarani defender Eduardo Filippini was judged to have handled in the box, and Riquelme converted the resultant penalty.

Sao Paulo 2, Defensor Sporting 1

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Brazilian champion Sao Paulo came from behind on a pair of goals by Borges to beat Uruguay's Defensor Sporting 2-1 and almost assure its passage to the next round of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday.

Sao Paulo, the heavy favorite, trailed following a stunning error by goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who let a long kick from Diego de Souza get away from him and into the net after 38 minutes.

The powerful Brazilian squad looked disinterested and poorly organized early, unable to solve Defensor's tough defense.

But Sao Paulo overcame the deficit in the second half through Borges.

On his first goal, he was left unmarked and knocked in a pass in the 71st, prompting Defensor to protest offside. He scored his second off another cross.

Defensor finished with 10 players after Diego de Souza was expelled in the final moments.

Sao Paulo remained the leader of Group 4 with 10 points, six more than Independiente Medellin of Colombia and Defensor Sporting. America de Cali was on two.

Colo Colo 1, Liga de Quito 1

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) -- Colo Colo snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against host Liga de Quito to move atop Group 1 of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday and push the defending champion to the verge of elimination.

The win put the Chilean club on seven points, while Liga de Quito climbed to four points with two games left to reach the last 16.

Liga de Quito scored two minutes after halftime when Jairo Campos headed in Patricio Urrutia's free kick at Casa Blanca Stadium.

But Colo Colo equalized a minute before the end when Luis Mena's shot was deflected into his own goal by Liga's Claudio Bieler.

In a feisty match, Mexican referee Armando Archundia flourished 10 yellow cards, six of them to Liga players.

Colo Colo controlled possession at the start, with Jose Salcedo and Arturo Sanhueza playing passes into space for Lucas Barrios and Cesar Carranza to chase, backed up by Macnelly Torres. Coach Marcelo Barticciotto also put in an effective plan to smother creative lynchpin Damian Manso.

After 41 minutes, Barrios burst through on goal after a rapid counterattack, rounded goalkeeper Jose Cevallos but his shot was cleared by defender Norberto Araujo.

In the second half, Liga squandered numerous chances which came back to haunt it at the end.