RIO DE JANEIRO, March 15 (Reuters) - River Plate, trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men at halftime, fought back to drew 1-1 at LDU to keep their Libertadores Cup campaign alive on Thursday.
Gremio, another of the pre-tournament favourites, went down
to a shock 1-0 defeat at Colombian provincial side Deportes
Tolima in another of Thursday's game.
The results completed a bad week for the favourites after
Boca Juniors lost 2-0 to Toluca on Wednesday and titleholders
Internacional were thumped 3-0 by Velez Sarsfield.
River badly needed a good result in Quito at 2,800 metres
above sea level after losing 1-0 at home to Venezuela's Caracas
FC last week.
But the Argentines found themselves on the ropes after an
awful first-half performance.
Midfielder Enrique Vera put the Ecuadorean hosts ahead in
the 15th minute as he burst past two players, held off another
challenge and fired past goalkeeper Juan Carrizo.
River were in more trouble when midfielder Rubens Sambueza
was sent off five minutes before halftime for a vicious lunge
at Vera's knee.
But fortunes quickly turned after the break.
LDU striker Luis Escalada was sent off in the 50th minute,
picking up yellow cards in the same incident for deliberate
handball followed by dissent, and River levelled four minutes
later.
Leonardo Ponzio mis-hit a 25-metre shot but the ball fell
kindly for team mate Ernesto Farias, who scored with a strike
on the turn.
LDU and River, who shared nine yellow cards and two reds in
a rough game, are level on four points from three games in
Group Six, two behind Caracas who have played a game less.
Chilean champions Colo Colo are bottom with no points.
Tolima went top of Group Three with their surprise win over
Brazil's Gremio, winners in 1983 and 1985.
Jorge Perlaza scored the winner in the 34th minute when he
tapped in the rebound after Gremio goalkeeper Sebastian Saja
could only parry John Charria's swerving 30-metre shot.
Gremio failed to seriously test Tolima goalkeeper Agustin
Julio as they lost for the first time in 14 matches in all
competitions this year.
The referee missed an ugly second-half incident when Tolima
forward Darwin Quintero, involved in continuous provocation
with his markers, punched Patricio in the back of the neck in
an off-the-ball tussle.
