Depay misses late penalty, Estudiantes advance to Libertadores semis after 17 years

Alexis Castro scored a late goal as Estudiantes de La Plata defeated Corinthians 1-0, advancing to the Copa Libertadores semifinals for the first time in 17 years.

Castro scored with a volley from inside the box in the 87th minute-enough for the Argentine team to advance with a 2-1 aggregate score.

Corinthians had a chance to equalize in the 90th minute, but former Manchester United player Memphis Depay missed a penalty.

Estudiantes next opponent will be determined by the match between defending champion Flamengo and Independiente del Valle, taking place on Thursday.

In the other quarterfinal match played on Wednesday, Palmeiras squandered a two-goal lead in the final minutes against Liga de Quito, but goalkeeper Carlos Miguel made two saves during the penalty shootout on Wednesday to lead the team into the semifinals.

The Brazilian side entered the return leg with a 1-0 advantage and extended it to 3-1 thanks to goals from Marlon Freitas in the 10th minute and Vitor Roque -- who converted a penalty in the 73rd minute. However, Luis Segovia scored for Liga in the 15th minute, and Michael Estrada added two more in the 90th and 93rd minutes to force the shootout.

During penalties, Carlos Miguel stopped attempts by Luis Segovia and Lucas Rodríguez to secure Palmeiras's advancement.

Palmeiras reached the semifinals for the sixth time in the last seven years and will now face Fluminense, which eliminated Platense on Tuesday.

"Verdão," last year's finalist, is seeking its first title since 2020.

The Copa Libertadores final takes place on Nov. 28 at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.