Athletico Paranaense come from behind to eliminate reigning Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras

Athletico Paranaense had to make a spectacular late comeback to progress to their second Copa Libertadores final, earning a 2-2 draw at Palmeiras after a 1-0 home win in the first leg.

Palmeiras controlled the first leg, finishing with 63% possession while Athletico scored with their only shot on target. So when Gustavo Scarpa equalized on aggregate less than three minutes into the second leg, it looked like the return-to-back champions would run away with the tie.

With 11 shots to three in the first half, it was all Palmeiras in front of their home fans - until a VAR review deemed centre-back Murilo Cerqueira's challenge worthy of a direct red card.< /p>

Everything changed after half-time as it was now Athletico who controlled 62% of the ball and dictated play, but in the 55th minute Palmeiras took control as Gustavo Gomez found the back of the net to make it 2-0, and 2-1 on aggregate.

Needing goals, Athletico replaced Pablo, who paid immediate dividends when he scored a minute after coming on in the 64th minute.

Pablo then became a distributor for the decisive strike, finding David Terans in the 85th minute to stab the home fans and secure the 3-2 aggregate victory.

This will be Athletico's first appearance in the final since 2005, where they lost to Sao Paulo.