Atletico Mineiro cruise to win in Copa Libertadores

RIO DE JANEIRO: Former Bayer Leverkusen winger Paulinho Sampaio scored twice as Brazil's Atletico Mineiro began their Copa Libertadores campaign with a 4-1 away win over Venezuelan side Caracas FC on Thursday.

Bruno Fuchs and Guilherme Arana were also on target for the visitors while Danny Perez netted a second-half goal for the hosts.

"We didn't expect a result like this, but we know our quality and this shows what we're capable of," Paulinho told reporters after the match.

"We had total control in the first half and finished off the job in the second. Now it's time to rest and focus on our next match."

Meanwhile, Ramiro Ruiz and Ruben Botta scored either side of halftime as Talleres Cordoba secured a 2-1 home win over Sao Paulo.

Luciano Neves reduced the deficit just after the hour but the Argentine outfit held on to go top of Group B.

In Thursday's other Copa Libertadores group matches, Rosario won 1-0 at home to Penarol, Bolivar romped to a 4-0 away win over Palestino and Independiente del Valle drew 1-1 at Liverpool Montevideo. Agencies

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