The Strongest secures victory in Copa Libertadores
Reinoso, who is now a naturalized Bolivian citizen, gave The Strongest a breather with a goal in the first minute of injury time in the first half, and Willie, who came on in the second half, extended the lead in the 68th minute.
The victory, achieved at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, at an altitude of over 3,600 meters, was also a redemption for the team after suffering a 1-2 defeat against Atletico Tucuman at home in the 2018 Libertadores.
The first half of the match passed without major surprises until the first minute of injury time, when a corner kick from youth player Ramiro Vaca found Reinoso well-positioned, who then scored with a header.
In the second half, former Bolivian coach Mauricio Soria made the right call by substituting Carlos Añez with Willie, as the Brazilian player provided more energy to the team in the 68th minute with a goal after a combination with Reinoso.
The second goal encouraged the Bolivian team to push forward more, with attacks led mainly by an inspired Reinoso and Vaca.
The Colombian-Bolivian forward could have scored at least a couple more goals, but he lacked accuracy or ran into the wall of Argentine goalkeeper Alejandro Sanchez.
On the other hand, Ricardo Zielinski's team seemed less dynamic compared to the first half.
The second leg will be played on February 12th at the Monumental Jose Fierro stadium in Tucuman.