Palmeiras rallies to defeat River Plate 3-1 and advances to the Copa Libertadores semifinals

SAO PAULO (AP) — Vitor Roque scored early in the second half and Jose Manuel Lopez added two late goals Wednesday as Brazil's Palmeiras rallied to defeat Argentina's River Plate 3-1 and progress to the Copa Libertadores semifinals.

Striker Maximiliano Salas put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute, but Roque tied it in the 51st minute with his second goal of the series. “Flaco” Lopez converted a penalty kick in the 90th minute and added a goal in the 94th.

Lopez, a 24-year-old striker who recently was called up to Argentina's national team, now has five goals in the tournament and is tied with three players as the top scorer.

Palmeiras will play the winner of the series between Ecuador’s LDU and Brazil’s Sao Paulo. The Ecuadorians hold a 2-0 lead.

In the other side of the bracket, Racing Club eliminated Velez Sarsfield on Tuesday and is awaiting the winner between Brazil’s Flamengo and Estudiantes La Plata from Argentina.

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Jose Manuel Lopez of Brazil's Palmeiras celebrates after scoring a penalty goal against Argentina's River Plate during a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Vitor Roque of Brazil's Palmeiras, left, makes an attempt to score against Argentina's River Plate during a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Jose Manuel Lopez of Brazil's Palmeiras scores from the penalty spot against Argentina's River Plate during a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Players of Argentina's River Plate leave the field after losing 3-1 against Brazil's Palmeiras at the end of a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Jose Manuel Lopez of Brazil's Palmeiras, left, celebrates with Vitor Roque of Brazil's Palmeiras, after scoring a penalty goal against Argentina's River Plate during a Copa Libertadores quarterfinal second leg soccer match at Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

DRESDEN, Germany (AP) — Large groups of fans invaded the field and threw flares before being chased away by police in a German second-division soccer game between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Dresden fans in the club's yellow and black colors ran the length of the field toward a section containing fans of visiting team Hertha, who also jumped a fence and moved toward the field. Lit flares were thrown from both sides, some of them landing near spectators, and some fans seemed to trade blows.

Police then stormed onto the field from an entrance in the corner of the stadium and chased dozens of Dresden supporters back toward the other end.

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured or if there had been arrests.

Referee Sven Jablonski stopped the game and took the players off for over 15 minutes. During that time, police formed two lines across the field facing the Dresden supporters. A banner in Hertha's blue and white colors was set alight and displayed in the Dresden end.

The game eventually resumed. It was the second stoppage after an earlier delay when fans let off pyrotechnics and smoke filled the stadium.

Also, there was fan unrest at the final whistle when Borussia Dortmund beat Stuttgart 2-0 in a top-division game. A group of Stuttgart fans approached the field but stopped behind advertising boards and a chair was thrown onto the field.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

A steward removes burning pyrotechnics from the pitch during a stoppage in play in the Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)

Hertha BSC fans, left, and Dresden fans scuffle during a Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)

Police officers stand in front of the K-Block section with Dresden fans during a stoppage in play in the Bundesliga 2 soccer match between Dynamo Dresden and Hertha BSC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)