By JOSÉ MANUEL VALLADARES
BOGOTÁ (AP) — With a goal from Hayen Palacios in injury time, Independiente Medellín beat Liverpool 2-1 on Tuesday in the first leg of the second preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores.
The Colombian team took the lead with a goal from Francisco Fydriszewski in the 52nd minute and won with Palacios’ goal in the 92nd minute.
“This victory is good for us, but we have to keep our feet on the ground because it is a 180-minute game,” said Fydriszewski.
The Uruguayans had momentarily equalized in the 64th minute through Santiago Strasorier.
In the other matches of the date, debutant 2 de Mayo drew 2-2 with Sporting Cristal, while Carabobo took a 1-0 lead against Huachipato.
Phase 2 of the Libertadores will continue this Wednesday with the presentation of two tournament champions. Botafogo, which won the title in 2024, will visit Nacional Potosí. Argentinos Juniors, who lifted the trophy in 1985, will face Barcelona away. O’Higgins and Bahía will complete the date.
On Thursday the round of first leg matches will close with the Juventud–Guaraní and Deportivo Táchira–Tolima clashes.
Next week the return matches will be played, which will define the eight qualifiers for the last preliminary round, which will grant four places for the group stage of the competition.
The draw for the group stage will take place on March 18. This round will begin the week between April 7 and 9. It will last until the last week of May.
The final of the 2026 Copa Libertadores is scheduled for November 28 in Montevideo.
At the Alfredo Víctor Viera stadium in Montevideo, Medellín, a Libertadores semi-finalist in 2003, surprised the locals with a header from Palacios, which rose above goalkeeper Martín Campaña and broke the tie in added time.
The assist was from Colombian international Frank Fabra, who debuted with the DIM and played his 50th. match in the Libertadores.
Medellín opened the scoring with a good finish from Fydriszewski, who scored with a cross shot after taking advantage of a long pass from José Ortiz.
Strasorier gave the locals the only joy with a header after a cross from Diego Romero.
In Paraguay, 2 de Mayo remained undefeated in its first participation in the Libertadores by drawing 2-2 with Sporting Cristal.
The Paraguayan team, which beat Alianza Lima in Phase 1, scored its two goals in 72 seconds through Fernando Cáceres and Cristiano – against – between minutes 83 and 84.
Sporting Cristal played with a man less from the 39th minute due to the expulsion of Luis Iberico, but overcame to rescue a tie with the screams of Yoshimar Yotún (from a penalty) in the 62nd and Ángel Martínez – against – in the 87th.
With a goal from Edson Tortolero, Carabobo beat Huachipato 1-0.
The Venezuelan team finished with one less player due to the expulsion of Juan Camilo Pérez five minutes from time.
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