Palmeiras secured a 2-0 victory on the road against Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores group stage on Tuesday. The Brazilian side took the lead early through Jose Manuel Lopez, who volleyed home a precise cross from Jhon Arias just before halftime. Ramon Sosa doubled Palmeiras’ advantage shortly after the break by capitalizing on a defensive error and slotting the ball into an open net.

Despite several attempts, Sporting Cristal was unable to breach Palmeiras goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, who made a number of crucial saves to maintain the clean sheet. The win positions Palmeiras at the top of Group F with eight points, two points clear of second-placed Sporting Cristal.

Tuesday’s Copa Libertadores fixtures also featured several other notable results. Bolivia’s Always Ready recorded a dominant 4-0 home win over Lanus, while Ecuador’s Barcelona SC edged out Boca Juniors 1-0 on home turf. Universidad Central upset Independiente del Valle 2-0 at home, and Rosario Central defeated Libertad 1-0 in Rosario.

In the Copa Sudamericana, Neymar scored for Santos in a 1-1 draw away at Paraguayan club Recoleta. The Brazilian forward, playing his 12th match this year after a series of injuries, found the net shortly before halftime following a combination play with Benjamin Rollheiser. Despite limited possession, Recoleta pushed for an equalizer late in the match and succeeded when substitute Fernando Galeano scored shortly after coming on.

The draw leaves Santos at the bottom of Group D with three points, one behind third-place Recoleta.

In other Sudamericana action, Gremio secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Deportivo Riestra in Argentina. Carlos Vinicius opened the scoring with a penalty in the first half, and goals from Francis Amuzu and Martin Braithwaite in the second half sealed the win. Gremio now tops Group F with seven points from four matches, three ahead of their closest challengers.

Additional matches on Tuesday saw Caracas FC claim a narrow 3-2 victory over Independiente Petrolero, Atletico Mineiro settle for a 2-2 draw with Juventude, and Puerto Cabello earn a 3-0 home win against Cienciano.