Copa Libertadores: Cerro Porteno 3 Santos 3

Santos have staved off a fast-finishing Cerro Porteno to book their spot in the Copa Libertadores final on Wednesday.

The Brazilian club earned their place in the showpiece of South American club football with the 3-3 draw, although it did not come without a scare as Cerro Porteno’s fightback created an exciting last 10 minutes inside the Estadio General Pablo Rojas.

Edu Dracena’s first-leg goal had given Muricy Ramalho’s Santos side a slender advantage heading into the second leg and the Brazilian’s moved two goals ahead on aggregate when Ze Eduardo opened the scoring after just two minutes.

And it was all going wrong for the Paraguayan side when their goalkeeper Diego Barreto scored an own goal after 28 minutes, much to the dismay of the home fans.

Cesar Benitez produced a quick-fire response for the hosts with a goal three minutes later, but Chelsea transfer target Neymar’s strike in first-half stoppage time put Santos 3-1 ahead on the night and three goals in front on aggregate.

But Leonardo Astrada’s side managed to fight on and first-half substitute Juan Lucero breathed life into the contest when he scored after 60 minutes.

Jonathan Fabbro then gave the visitors a real scare when he scored with nine minutes to play with a terrific goal, as he beat two men before scoring from range to set up an exciting finale to the match.

But Cerro Porteno could not score a fourth goal to level the tie, while Santos went close to sealing it when they hit the bar with a free-kick in the dying minutes.

The near-miss did not matter in the end as they booked their spot in the final where they will face either Velez Sarsfield or Penarol, who will play their second-leg match on Thursday.