Sao Paulo, Sep 13 (IANS) Cruzeiro defeated Palmeiras 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final clash in the Copa do Brasil.
Argentine forward Hernan Barcos, who had gone 10 matches without scoring, notched the lone goal of Wednesday night's contest at Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo when he put the finishing touches on a rapid counter-attack in the fifth minute, reports Efe news.
Palmeiras appeared to score the equalizer in the last play of the match but the referee waved it off.
The loss puts the Sao Paolo club in a difficult position heading into the September 26 second leg, which will be played at Mineirao stadium in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte.
Elsewhere, host Flamengo and Corinthians played to a scoreless draw in Wednesday night's first leg of the other Copa do Brasil semi-final - a match held at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Flamengo was the more offense-minded of the two clubs and had the clear edge in ball possession, but it was unable to convert any of the scoring chances it created.
The Rio club fielded Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cuellar and Brazilian forward Lucas Paqueta, who had played friendlies in the United States on Tuesday night for their respective national squads.
The second leg of that two-match semi-final series will be played on September 26 at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo.
The winner of the 2018 Copa do Brasil will secure a berth in the group stage of the 2019 edition of the Copa Libertadores, South America's premier club soccer competition.
