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Brazilian side Gremio edged Lanus of Argentina 1-0 in a tense first leg of their Copa Libertadores final in Porto Alegre on Wednesday. Second-half substitute Cicero scored in the 83rd minute to give the Brazilians -- who out-shot and out-possessed their opponents -- a deserved 1-0 advantage heading back to Argentina. However, Lanus are a confident side at their La Fortaleza ground, where they dispatched Buenos Aires giants River Plate 4-2 in the second leg of their semifinal to advance in the competition, and will fancy their chances at home. In a hard-fought game that featured seven yellow cards and few clear chances, Gremio finally found their breakthrough seven minutes before the final whistle. From hopeful beginnings, a long ball from the right found the head of Jael, who nodded on for a streaking Cicero who'd broken free behind the defence and connected just enough with his outstretched left foot to beat Esteban Andrada from close range. Gremio, who won the competition in 1983 and 1995, are now 90 minutes from handing coach Renato Portaluppi -- who was the star of the 1983 side -- his first continental title as a manager. Meanwhile, Lanus, who have never won the Libertadores, will be hoping to change that history in the Nov. 29 return match.
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