Keeper Harlei thwarted at least three clear chances and enabled Brazil’s Goias to draw 0-0 with Newell’s Old Boys of Argentina on Wednseday to move to the brink of reaching the second round of the Copa Libertadores.The 63-year-old Brazilian team, making its Libertadores debut, improved to 10 points atop Group Three. Newell’s has four points with two games to play while Bolivia’s The Strongest and Union Espanola of Chile each have three with three games remaining.
Two teams from each of the eight first-round groups advance to the second round. Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield is the only team so far to assure itself of reaching the round-of-16.
Led by Ariel Ortega, Newell’s was the more aggressive from the start, but Harlei blocked a chance by Ortega in the 15th minute and later stopped opportunities by Fernando Belluschi and Mauro Cejas.