🏆 Flamengo ease past Bolívar; Nacional and São Paulo look to second-leg

The Copa Libertadores round-of-16 first-leg ties wrapped up this evening with the final two clashes. Here is what went down.

Flamengo 2-0 Bolívar

Scorers: Araújo 29′, Pereira 89′

A goal in each half was enough all Flamengo could manage from an otherwise dominant performance against Bolívar, taking a lead into the second-leg at the Hernando Siles.

It was one-way traffic from the very start, as Flamengo took control of the ball and probed for an opening.

The dam finally broke on the half-hour mark when Luiz Araújo bagged the opener on the night and in the tie, and it appeared the floodgates would open.

While it seemed as if the game would fizzle from there, Léo Pereira popped up from defense to grab a potentially vital second goal for Flamengo in the dying minutes.

Nacional 0-0 São Paulo

Nacional and São Paulo played out a goalless draw at Parque Central to set up a tightly-contested second-leg affair in Brazil next week.

Goalmouth action was a rare sight in this first-leg showdown, much to the chagrin of the neutral onlookers. While Nacional had the lion’s share of the shots, São Paulo dominated possession — possession they did little with.

The opening in front of goal appeared to be carved out in the final 15 minutes when the ball fell to Diego Zabala at the back-post, but the Uruguayan could not sort his feet out and scuffed the attempt.

With little to write home about, the two sides will turn their attention to the second-leg at the Morumbi next Thursday.