• Substitute scores 85th-minute goal against Boca Juniors
• Second leg of the final is in São Paulo next Wednesday
Romarinho scored in the 85th minute to rally Brazil's Corinthians to a 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors in Wednesday's first leg of the Copa Libertadores final.
The popular Brazilian club are now in a strong position to win the tournament for the first time in the second leg in São Paulo next Wednesday.
Romarinho, who came on as a substitute just minutes before the goal, gathered a pass and lobbed a perfectly weighted shot over the fallen Boca goalkeeper Agustín Orión.
Facundo Roncaglia gave Boca the lead in the 73rd minute, a goal that opened up a tight-marking match with Boca doing most of the attacking and Corinthians content to defend.
Boca are attempting to win their seventh Copa Libertadores championship, the most prestigious title in Latin American club football.
Corinthians have been the tournament's best team defensively, and that continued against Boca until Roncaglia broke through with what looked like the winner, sending the crowd at Boca's Bombonera stadium – including the former club star Diego Maradona – into a frenzy.
Roncaglia drove the ball high into the net after a header from Santiago Silva rebounded into his path following a corner from Juan Román Riquelme.
Romarinho's goal came as Boca seemed just minutes from victory. The Boca substitute Darío Cvitanich hit the bar in second-half injury time, which nearly saved the night for the popular Buenos Aires club.
Corinthians are Brazil's second most popular club, behind Flamengo, and have five national titles. But they have never had much success internationally. They won the inaugural Fifa Club World Cup in 2000, but only after being invited as the host team. Read More [category Sport][tags Corinthians, Boca Juniors, Football, Sport]
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