Football
ESPN staff 7y

River Plate stun Wilstermann with eight goals, advance to Copa semis

River Plate reached the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores 8-3 on aggregate after a stunning 8-0 second-leg victory over Jorge Wilstermann at the Estadio Monumental on Thursday.

Former Sunderland forward Ignacio Scocco scored five goals, while an Enzo Perez brace and a strike from Ignacio Fernandez completed the remarkable turnaround in South America's top club competition.

Scocco single-handedly erased the Buenos Aires side's 3-0 first-leg deficit before the 20-minute mark, finding the net in the 9th, 14th and 19th minutes to send Marcelo Gallardo men's flying.

Perez then put River's nose in front on 36 minutes, when -- after beating an offside trap -- he calmly slotted Scocco's through ball past goalkeeper Raul Olivares from an angle.

Scocco got back to work after half-time with a simple finish in front of a gaping goal after fine interplay down the right in the 46th minute.

Fernandez added his goal seven minutes later -- the midfielder pouncing onto a defender's poor clearance and sliding his shot well out of Olivares' reach from the top of the box.

Scocco completed his quintuple in the 58th minute from a corner kick -- the summer signing was first to react to Olivares' spilled save attempt at the goalmouth.

And Perez then put a bow on the memorable night with a sublime solo effort that started deep in his own half -- the Argentina international dribbling through two defenders before slotting home from just inside the box.

River will now face Lanus, who beat San Lorenzo on penalties in Thursday's other quarterfinal, with Barcelona of Guayaquil playing Gremio in the semifinals.

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