Palmeiras fans are celebrating yet another miracle by "Saint Marcos."
The World Cup veteran goalkeeper made key saves in regulation and stopped three penalties in the shootout to help Palmeiras eliminate fellow Brazilian club Sport and reach the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday.
Marcos, already idolized by Palmeiras fans for his top-notch performances in decisive moments, extended his list of heroics with another impressive display on Tuesday.
His photo is stamped across the front pages of several Brazilian newspapers on Wednesday, and even Sao Paulo state Gov. Jose Serra called to congratulate him.
"Saint Marcos has a hero's night," read a headline in the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper.
A starter when Brazil won its fifth World Cup title in South Korea and Japan in 2002, Marcos made three key saves in regulation to keep Sport to a 1-0 win which sent the match into the shootout. Palmeiras had won the first leg by the same score in Sao Paulo.
"Gladly I came up with a great match," Marcos said. "But it's always hard. The strikers usually are born with a gift for scoring, and the defenders and the goalkeepers end up having to work twice as hard to stop them from using this gift."
Marcos made a remarkable reflex save on a close-range header by Sport midfielder Paulo Baier in the ninth minute, then used his feet for another tough stop when Baier entered the area free from markers a few moments later. In the last minute of second-half injury time, Marcos barely tipped a shot by striker Ciro and the ball struck the post.
Marcos stopped penalties by Luciano Henrique, Fumagalli and Dutra in the shootout in the northeastern city of Recife, keeping alive Palmeiras' chances for its second Copa Libertadores title.
The goalkeeper was crucial when the club won the first title in 1999. In the quarterfinals, he came up big with penalty saves in a shootout against Brazilian rival Corinthians and eventually led the team to the trophy in another shootout in the final against Colombia's Deportivo Cali.
"Saint Marcos returns 10 years later," read a headline in the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Brazil's largest.
In 55 Copa Libertadores matches, the 36-year-old Marcos participated in nine shootouts, coming out victorious in seven of them, according to the UOL Web site. The only losses came against Boca Juniors of Argentina in 2000 and 2001. He has a total of 11 saves in 42 penalties, while three struck the post.
Coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo said Marcos had told him after regulation Tuesday that he was going to make three stops in the shootout.
"The other players have to think twice when they are in front of Marcos in a penalty shootout," Luxemburgo said.
Palmeiras will face will now face Nacional of Uruguay, which reached the quarterfinals after Mexican club San Luis abandoned the competition following a controversy amid swine flu fears.
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