Giuliano and Bolivar scored second-half headers to give Internacional of Brazil a 2-1 away win over Guadalajara on Wednesday in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final.
Adolfo Bautista opened the scoring for Guadalajara, known as Chivas, in first-half stoppage time. But Guiliano equalized in the 73rd minute and Bolivar scored the winner four minutes later.
The win makes Inter favorite to lift a second Copa Libertadores title going into the deciding return match on Wednesday in Porto Alegre. The Copa Libertadores is the top Latin American club tournament. No Mexican team has ever won it.
''It was a very difficult game against a team that plays well,'' said Andres D'Alessandro, Inter's playmaker. ''We knew if we let them play they would cause us problems. But a victory away from home is important.''
''Chivas plays well away from home,'' he added. ''We have to be careful.''
The start of the match was delayed 15 minutes by a partial floodlight failure at Guadalajara's new $150 million stadium, which opened last month.
Both teams had spells of early possession with Inter dominating the first 10 minutes.
Kleber almost rewarded the Brazilans' good start, bursting into the box from left back and shaving the far post with an angled shot across goalkeeper Luis Michel.
Chivas controlled possession following the opening scare but struggled to create clear chances.
Inter hit the woodwork again when Alecsandro clipped the crossbar with a curling free kick in the 29th minute following Hector Moreno's shove on Taison.
Bautista gave Chivas the lead in the final seconds of the first half. The Chivas striker, wearing a single white glove on his left hand, met a cross from Marco Fabian and looped a header over stranded goalkeeper Renan.
Inter equalized in the 73rd minute when Kleber's cross found Giuliano unmarked in the box to head past Michel.
D'Alessandro created the clinching goal with a deep cross to the back post, where Indio headed back across the box for Bolivar to flick past Michel.
''Our error cost us, but we knew if came out well in the second half we could get back into the game,'' D'Alessandro said. ''The key was not to let our heads drop.''
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Lineups:
Guadalajara: Luis Michel, Miguel Angel Ponce, Mario de Luna, Hector Reynoso, Jonny Magallon, Edgar Mejia, Xavier Baez (Ulises Davila 86), Marco Fabian De la Mora (Dionisio Escalante 79), Adolfo Bautista, Omar Arellano (Patricio Araujo 69), Omar Bravo.
Internacional: Renan, Nei, Bolivar, Indio, Kleber, Sandro Ranieri, Pablo Guinazu, Giuliano, Andres D'Alessandro, Taison (Wilson Tiago 86), Alecsandro (Everton Santos 34, Rafael Sobis 71)
