RIO DE JANEIRO, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Diego Alves saved two spot kicks as Flamengo advanced to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals on Wednesday by beating Emelec 4-2 on penalties.
Gabriel Barbosa struck twice in the first 20 minutes to put the last 16 tie on level terms at the Maracana stadium after Emelec claimed a 2-0 victory in the first leg in Ecuador
Barbosa converted a penalty after Rafinha was brought down by Oscar Bagui and the Inter Milan loanee struck again by capitalizing on a quick turnover to latch onto Everton Ribeiro's cross with a low first-time finish.
There were few clear scoring chances thereafter as both sides looked content to sit back and try to hit their opponents on the counterattack, an outcome that didn't eventuate.
With no extra time in this competition, the match went directly to a penalty shootout after 90 minutes. The Brazilian side converted each of their five attempts while Alves saved efforts from Dixon Arroyo and Nicolas Queiroz.
In other matches on Wednesday, six-time champions Boca Juniors beat Athletico Paranaense 2-0 to advance 3-0 on aggregate, Internacional overcame Nacional 2-0, securing a 3-0 aggregate win, and Cerro Porteno defeated San Lorenzo 2-1 to prevail 2-1 overall.
