Boca Juniors advance to Copa Libertadores semi-finals to challenge Brazilian club dominance

September 1 - Buenos Aires giants Boca Juniors have fought their way to the last four of the Copa Libertadores, where a trio of Brazilian clubs will try to secure the country's recent dominance of the competition.

The all-Argentinian quarter-final between Boca Juniors and Racing was decided on penalties, with neither team managing to find the net in both matches. Boca won 4-1 from the penalty spot to progress and meet tournament favorite Palmeiras de Sao Paulo in the semi-finals.

Abel Ferreira's team beat Colombia's Deportivo Pereira 4-0 on aggregate. They had scored four goals, including three in the first half, ahead of their opponents in the first leg to break the tie from the start.

Under the Portuguese manager, Palmeiras don't play attractive football, but they are ruthless and have won the Copa Libertadores back-to-back in all-Brazilian finals in 2020 and 2021.

They will be favorites to win a third title in four seasons, but Rio de Janeiro's Fluminense could come as a surprise. They will face Internacional de Porto Alegre in the other semi-final after beating Paraguay's Olimpia 5-1 on aggregate in the round of 16.

However, it was coach Fernando Diniz's style of play that caught the most attention. He simply overloads the opposition with an all-out attack philosophy.

Next week, Diniz will take charge of the Brazil national team. He will serve as interim coach before Carlo Ancelotti takes over next year.

In 2008, Fluminense participated in their only Copa Libertadores, losing to Ecuadorian LDU Quito. This year's final will take place at their home ground, the Maracana, on November 4.

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