Boca lose but qualify for quarters

Boca Juniors reached the Libertadores Cup quarter-finals despite losing 3-1 to Velez Sarsfield on Wednesday while Gremio ousted Brazilian champions Sao Paulo.

Unfashionable Uruguayans Defensor Sporting, who boast only a few thousand fans, reached the last eight for the first time by knocking out Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club who claim to have 25 million supporters.

Boca took an apparently comfortable 3-0 lead to the second leg of their third-round tie against fellow Argentines Velez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires.

But Velez, whose coach Ricardo La Volpe had an unhappy three months with Boca last year, gave the five-times former champions a torrid time.

Mauro Zarate put Velez ahead in the 14th minute, but Boca snatched a crucial away goal and appeared to be home and dry when Juan Roman Riquelme scored direct from a corner in the 32nd minute.

However, they fell into disarray after midfielder Pablo Ledesma was sent off two minutes later for a dangerous studs-first tackle.

Zarate put Velez back ahead in the 36th minute.

The hosts threw everything forward, created a flurry of chances but were defied by Caranta.

As Boca came back into the game, Riquelme hit the crossbar twice in four minutes. But they had to survive an anxious end after Ramon Ocampo scored a third in the 79th minute.

Velez had midfielder Mario Mendez dismissed in injury time for a second bookable offence as Boca won 4-3 on aggregate.