Argentinos Juniors secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Barcelona SC in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores second round, scoring a late winner in dramatic fashion.

Nicolás Diez’s side showed resilience despite playing with ten men and found the breakthrough in stoppage time in Guayaquil.

Red card for Francisco Álvarez shifts momentum

The match had been evenly contested, though Barcelona SC struggled to generate consistent attacking flow. Darío Benedetto was unable to find clear scoring opportunities.

In the 65th minute, Francisco Álvarez was sent off after stopping a promising attacking move. Despite the numerical advantage, the Ecuadorian side failed to capitalize.

Their best chance came when Martínez hit the post with the goal at his mercy.

Diego Porcel nets stoppage-time winner

After missing a previous opportunity on the counterattack, Diego Porcel made amends in stoppage time. Cutting in from the right, he fired home to seal the 1-0 win.

The result gives Argentinos Juniors the upper hand heading into the decisive second leg.

When is the second leg?

The return match will take place next Wednesday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Argentina, where a place in the third round will be decided.

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