SAO PAULO – Striker Emerson scored a brilliant goal as Corinthians got one foot in the Libertadores Cup final with a 1-0 away win over holder Santos Wednesday in a match marred by a crowd disturbance and power blackout.
The striker turned villain late in the first leg of the semifinal when he was sent off for a second booking after a foul on Santos’s Neymar and will miss the second leg in Sao Paulo next week.

Shortly after the red card, the referee removed a police helmet from the pitch that had apparently been thrown on by Santos fans close to Corinthians goalkeeper Cassio. TV showed police officers among the Santos fans after the incident.

The match at Vila Belmiro, where Santos was previously unbeaten in this season’s competition, was also marred by a 20-minute delay after a floodlight failure in the 82nd minute.

Emerson took a pass from Paulinho inside the box with almost half an hour gone and hit a curling shot into the top far corner for the only goal.
Santos was unable to make its extra man pay in the last 13 minutes after Emerson’s red card, exerting constant pressure but failing to create a clear-cut chance.

“The fight to the end, especially after Emerson’s’ dismissal, showed the spirit of this team,” Cassio told TV reporters.

“We managed to do what was planned by the coach and now we’re heading home with this result but always thinking of winning in front of our own fans.”
Corinthians have never reached the final, while Santos is looking for its fourth title after winning its first two in the Pele era.

Santos, with the highest scoring attack in the competition, had won all its home matches until Wednesday when it encountered a strong Corinthians defense that has only conceded two goals in the tournament.

Neymar was unable to show off his dribbling skills as he was starved of the ball with Corinthians, putting 10 men behind the ball after their goal, cutting out Santos attacks at their genesis. The winner of the tie will go through to a final against six-time champion Boca Juniors or Universidad de Chile, who meet in the first leg of their semifinal at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. — Reuters