Tijuana (Mexico), May 24 (IANS) Second-half substitute Luan struck an injury-time equaliser to earn Atletico Mineiro a 2-2 draw against Tijuana in their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal first leg.
Colombian striker Duvier Riascos opened the scoring for the Mexican club at the Estadio Caliente after a slick one-two with compatriot Dayro Moreno in the 13th minute Thursday, reports Xinhua.
The home side then made it 2-0 early in the second half when Moreno’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Victor only for Fidel Martinez to knock in the rebound.
Atletico suffered a blow when Brazil international midfielder Bernard failed to reappear in the second half due to a thigh injury.
But Diego Tardelli reduced the deficit for the visitors when he struck from a Ronaldinho corner kick before Bernard’s replacement Luan slotted home in the 92nd minute after Tardelli’s deft through ball.
“It is a long way to travel here and it’s not easy playing on this synthetic surface but we managed to get a very important result,” Ronaldinho said after the match.
The return fixture will be played at Atletico’s Independencia stadium in Belo Horizonte May 29.
In Thursday’s other quarterfinal, Newell’s Old Boys held Argentine rivals Boca Juniors to a 0-0 draw at the Bombonera in Buenos Aires.
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