Vizeu strike earns Flamengo advantage over Junior

A stunning late strike from Felipe Vizeu gave Brazilian football giants Flamengo a 2-1 victory over Colombia's Junior in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana semi-final here.

Colombia international striker Teofilo Gutierrez opened the scoring in the 21st minute by tapping in at the far post after a Yony Gonzalez cross on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The equaliser came in the 76th minute when veteran defender Juan met Miguel Trauco's corner by rifling a bullet header into the bottom left corner.

Vizeu sent the partisan crowd at the Maracana Stadium into raptures when he latched onto a Willian Arao header with a sublime volley that left goalkeeper Sebastian Viera with no chance.

For Flamengo, the result was soured by a suspected collarbone injury that forced goalkeeper Diego Alves off the pitch in the 20th minute.

The Brazilian club's medical staff said further scans were needed to determine the extent of the injury.

The decisive second leg will be played at Junior's Estadio Metropolitano in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla next Thursday.

The winner of the Copa Sudamericana will earn a berth in next year's Copa Libertadores, South America's top club competition.

--IANS

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