River Plate beats Boca Juniors 2-0 in Copa Libertadores SF
The HinduRiver Plate moved a step closer to back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles after defeating bitter rival Boca Juniors 2-0 in the first leg of its semifinal clash. Pitted against each other in the semis, host River drew first blood thanks to Rafael Santos Borre's seventh-minute penalty and an Ignacio Fernandez goal in the 70th minute on Tuesday. For all of River's dominance, it nearly conceded three minutes later but Capaldo wasted a gilt-edged opportunity – the midfielder somehow blazing over after being played in by Ramon Abila following a great counter-attack. But River got in behind Boca's defence again and they finally managed to double their lead with 20 minutes remaining after Fernandez and Matias Suarez combined superbly as the former tapped home.