Unfancied Goias edge closer to glory

Unfancied Goias edge closer to glory

Goias have the upper hand after the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final thanks to a 2-0 win over ten-man Independiente.

The Brazilians will head to Buenos Aires for next Wednesday's second leg holding all the aces following goals from Rafael Moura and Otacilio Neto.

Goias never let Independiente settle in the match, and the Argentinians were on the back foot with both central defenders Julian Velazquez and Leonel Galeano booked as early as the 13th minute.

The opening goal came in the 15th minute when the ball fell for Rafael Moura and he fired beyond the reach of goalkeeper Hilario Navarro. The goal saw Moura consolidate his position as the tournament's leading scorer with seven goals.

The second strike came only six minutes later and Navarro could not get a proper touch on Douglas' cross, allowing the ball to fall for Neto who had an easy finish.

Independiente's problems then grew when striker Nestor Andres Silvera was shown a red card by referee Carlos Torres after being seen to elbow Goias defender Rafael Toloi.

Goias might have added a third with five minutes to go, but Navarro made a save to keep out Moura's header.

Although Goias have a solid lead to take to Argentina, goalkeeper Harlei admitted he and his team-mates would have liked to have taken advantage of the extra man. "We had a huge advantage in the second half and we should have scored another goal," he told Fox Sports. "The lead is good, but there is a long way to go yet."

Independiente defender Eduardo Tuzzio promised his side will keep fighting when the tie heads to their home ground. "It is still open," he said. "They scored after we made mistakes. But we still have 90 minutes to play in our home. Goias surprised us. We did not expect they were going to play so well. We have things to correct."