Libertad beats River Plate 2-0 at Copa Libertadores

Deivis Barone and Roberto Gamarra scored to lead Paraguay's Libertad past Argentina's River Plate 2-0 in Group 8 of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday in Asuncion of Paraguay.

River showed little spark though Marcelo Gallardo came close in the ninth minute off a free kick that Libertad goalkeeper blocked away. Libertad ratcheted up its defense from then on, limiting River's chances.

Lux was hit on the head by a bottle tossed by fans one minute after halftime. He was not seriously hurt but the referee halted the match for several minutes while police reimposed order in the stadium.

Barone, a Colombian, got the first goal when he beat Lux inside the area and heeled in the ball in the 59th. River then played one man down after Juan Carlos Toja was expelled for rough play in the 76th, nine minutes before Gamarra fired a 20-meter kick from outside the area into the net.

The outcome left Libertad ahead in the standings with three points, followed by El Nacional of Ecuador and Brazil's Paulista with one point each. River Plate has no points.

Paulista receives Libertad on March 2 while River Plate's next clash will be at home against El Nacional on March 8.

Source: Xinhua