Brazilian sensation Neymar added another impressive goal to his growing collection on Wednesday as his club Santos beat Colombian side Once Caldas and joined Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield in the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores.
Neymar also missed a late penalty as Santos drew 1-1 against Colombia’s Once Caldas to progress 2-1 on aggregate, while Maximiliano Moralez scored twice as Velez won 4-2 at Paraguay’s Libertad for a 7-2 aggregate victory.
Santos will next face either Chiapas of Mexico or Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno. Chiapas and Cerro drew 1-1 in Mexico.
Velez will take on the winner of the quarterfinal between Uruguay’s Penarol and Chile’s Universidad Catolica. Penarol has a 2-0 lead ahead of the return in Chile.
The remaining two quarterfinals will be played on Thursday.
Neymar, one of the most coveted young players in Brazil, gave Santos the lead against Once Caldas after collecting the ball in a central position and driving a rising 20-meter (yard) shot past goalkeeper Luis Martinez in the 12th minute.
Santos, which won the Sao Paulo state championship on Sunday, looked to be cruising into the last four but Wason Renteria scored from close range following a free kick in the 30th to put the tie back in the balance.
Another goal would have put the Colombian side through, but Santos always looked more likely to score in the second half, with 19-year-old Neymar the architect behind most attacks.
Ze Eduardo and Neymar both missed chances when clean through on goal, before Neymar skipped past his marker and tempted Luis Nunez into a rash challenge for a penalty in the 84th.
Neymar took the spot kick himself but saw his attempt saved by Martinez.
The miss prompted a nervous finish to the game, but Santos held on for victory.
