A resolute Libertad side held Palmeiras to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Paraguay. The game was valid for the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinal games.
Gustavo Gómez scored against his former side Libertad when he opened the scoring for Palmeiras in the 39th minute.
Ron made the headlines during the celebrations to raise his arms in a show of his support in the fight against racism. This comes after the incident that marred the PSG vs Istanbul Basaksehir game in the Champions League.
Verdao saw most of the ball but their failure to convert to goals was their biggest undoing. In the 62nd minute, Espinoza leveled matters for the Paraguayan side to restore hope of qualification.
The goal from Libertad came against the run of play at a time when Palmeiras were fully in charge of the game with respect to possession.
Palmeiras had a late penalty claim that was rejected and they also went a man down when Lima Lucas got dismissed after his second yellow despite only coming off the bench in the 68th minute.
The return game will hold next Tuesday and Palmeiras will be looking to win on home soil to advance to the semifinals of the competition. The winner of that game will be the side to qualify.
Moving to the Brazilian Championship, Palmeiras welcome Bahia for their next game on Saturday at Allianz Parque. The game is valid for the 25th round of the competition. Palmeiras are seventh on the standings, just two points below fourth-placed Grêmio.
