Atletico Nacional thrashes Bolivar, enter Libertadores quarters

Atletico Nacional thrashed Bolivar 4-1 at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium to enter the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals after the fourth day of Group B matches.

With two goals by Dayro Moreno, one by midfielder Gonzalo Castellani and another by Vladimir Hernandez, the Colombian club scored nine points while Bolivar, with a single goal from Marcos Riquelme, is trailing with five points, reports EFE news agency.

Bolivar could not match the speed demonstrated by Nacional's attackers, complicating the situation for the team's defence and leading to clumsy play that was used to Nacional's advantage.

Hernandez, who emerged as a key player, along with Macnelly Torres, Moreno and Castellani, established a circuit that made it difficult for Bolivar's defenders to break through.

Nacional opened the marker at the 13th minute with a free kick in which Torres passed the ball to winger Helibelton Palacios who passed it to Castellani allowing the latter to make the team's first goal.

Bolivar had several difficulties to overcome as the ball appeared to be in the possession of Juan Carlos Arce, Juan Miguel Callejon, Riquelme and William Ferreira, only briefly.

Bolivar's opportunity came with Callejon, who managed to kick the ball to the net but Nacional's goalkeeper Fernando Monetti blocked it, thereby avoiding a draw.

Nacional continued to dominate the game and the score soon became 2-0 after Hernandez, at the 31st minute, caught a rebound left by the Bolivian goalkeeper Romel Quiñ?onez after a left-footed kick by Moreno and thus scoring his second goal of this year's Libertadores.

Three minutes later, Quiñ?onez bounced back, this time after blocking a shot by Castellani, which later Moreno took advantage of and closed the first half with 3-0.

However, Bolivar began the second half with a collective play in which the ball was passed through leg work by Ferreira, Leonel Justiniano and Marcos Riquelme, who with his right foot overcame Monetti's resistance and scored the team's first and only goal, providing some motivation.

Despite this, a filtered pass from Torres to Moreno, who took advantage of a mistake by Bolivar's veteran center back Ronald Raldes, sealed the final score at 4-1 in favor of the Colombians.

Atletico Nacional is set to play against Delfin on May 15 while Bolivar will be up against Colo Colo the same day.

--IANS

ajb/