Palmeiras stays perfect after five-goal thriller
Palmeiras maintained its perfect record in the Copa Libertadores group stage, beating Bolivar 3-2 in a thrilling contest in La Paz having been made to work for the win.
The visitors seemed to be cruising after Jose Manuel Lopez and Estevao gave it a two-goal lead at the break.
It could have been three early in the second half were it not denied by the post, and the hosts came back hard therafter.
Fabio Gomes halved the deficit on 56 minutes when he rose to head home a pinpoint cross almost on the goalline, and he was on hand again to score a second with his head in the 69th minute, glancing the ball superbly in the bottom corner from just outside the six-yard box.
But four minutes later, Palmeiras put together a swift attack inside the Bolivar box. The ball eventually landed at Mauricio's feet near the penalty spot, and he lashed home powerfully to give Palmeiras the win.
It leads Group G on nine points with three wins from three at the halfway stage of this first phase, while Bolivar sits third on three points after one win and two defeats.
