Atletico Nacional beat nine-man Sao Paulo to reach Copa Lib final

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:58 am

Miguel Borja scored twice as Colombian side Atletico Nacional beat nine-man Sao Paulo 2-1 on Wednesday night and 4-1 on aggregate to advance to the Copa Libertadores final.

Sao Paulo started brightly as they looked to claw back a 2-0 deficit from a first-leg home loss a week ago, as Jonathan Calleri headed home from the centre of the box from a cross in by Michel Bastos.

But Borja fired Atletico back to level terms just seven minutes later when teammate Orlando Berrío found him in the centre of the penalty area with a through ball.

Miguel Borja of Colombia's Atletico Nacional celebrates scoring his side's second goal in a 2-1 win vs. Sao Paulo.
Miguel Borja of Colombia's Atletico Nacional celebrates scoring his side's second goal in a 2-1 win vs. Sao Paulo.
AP Images

The two teams stayed deadlocked for nearly 60 minutes after that until Sao Paulo's Carlinhos was whistled for a handball in the box and Borja stepped up to convert the penalty and all but put the game away.

Two Sao Paulo players, Wesley and Diego Lugano, were shown red cards in the 79th minute to further put the match out of reach for the Brazilian club.

Atletico is now into their first Copa Lib final in 21 years and will face the winner of Thursday's match between Independiente del Valle and Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires, with the Ecuadorian side holding a narrow 2-1 advantage after last week's first leg.