Palmeiras and Flamengo battle it out for Copa Libertadores as River Plate are knocked out

Palmeiras secured their progress to the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals on Wednesday, beating Cerro Porteno 5-0 in Sao Paulo.

Going into the second leg with a 3-0 aggregate lead, Verdao eventually extended the score to 8-0 from two games with four goals in the final 20 minutes on Wednesday, following the own goal of Braian Samudio in the first half.

Francisco Arce's side did little to put the two-time defending champions Libertadores on the back foot, failing to generate an open play shot in the penalty area during the 90 minutes despite the majority ownership.

Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton's on-field kicks resulted in late goals, with Rony scoring in the 73rd minute and then assisting Breno Lopes with a deft back heel two minutes later.

Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gomez scored what would be a cherished goal against boyhood club rivals Libertad to make it 4-0 in the 78th minute, before Breno returned the favor to Rony for complete the score in the 83rd.

Abel Ferreira's side will now face Atletico Mineiro in the quarter-finals, having overtaken Emelec on Tuesday.

The Flamengo barrage in the second half

Flamengo set up a high-profile quarter-final with Corinthians late on Wednesday, thrashing Deportes Tolima 7-1 in Rio de Janeiro in their second leg.

The Dorival Junior side confirmed an 8-1 aggregate win over two legs, scoring five second-half goals at the Maracana.

Pedro pocketed a poker hand on the night, giving the two-time Libertadores a 1-0 lead in just the fifth minute, before helping put the overall result beyond doubt in the second half with three more goals.

Velez knocks out River in a huge upset

Even after Corinthians knocked out Boca Juniors at La Bombonera on Tuesday, Velez Sarsfield earned the biggest scalp of the Round of 16, overtaking River Plate with a 0-0 draw on Wednesday in Buenos Aires.

Julio Vaccari's team absorbed the pressure and seemed relatively comfortable at the Monumental, facing a team from River increasingly out of ideas.

Despite 71.1% possession in the second half, in what will likely be Julian Alvarez's last game for the club before completing his transfer to Manchester City, River Plate failed to generate a shot in the penalty area in open play in the last 30 minutes.