RIO DE JANEIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Argentine giants River Plate scored either side of halftime to beat Paraguay's Club Guarani 2-0 in their Copa Libertadores round-of-16 first leg clash on Wednesday.
Nacho Scocco opened the scoring for the visitors with a free-kick and Marcelo Larrondo put the result beyond doubt with a late header at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion.
The return leg will be played at River Plate's Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires on August 8.
In Tuesday's only other match, midfielder Ramiro scored in the opening minute as Brazil's Gremio secured a 1-0 away victory over Godoy Cruz of Argentina.
The Copa Libertadores is South America's top club competition, featuring teams from the South American Football Confederation's (CONMEBOL) 10 member nations.
The winner will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in December.
