Ganso helps Sao Paulo to Sudamericana semis

Ganso (2nd R) of Brazil's Sao Paulo celebrates with teammates after scoring against Ecuador's Emelec

Guayaquil (Ecuador), Nov 6 (IANS) Brazil midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso was on target as Sao Paulo advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana with a 6-5 aggregate victory over Emelec.

Having lost the first-leg 2-4, Emelec took an early lead in Wednesday night's decider when Miller Bolanos struck in the second minute, reports Xinhua.

Alan Kardec and Ganso then netted in quick succession as the visitors took a 6-3 aggregate lead into the interval.

But Bolanos added another two goals early in the second half for the Ecuadorian outfit as Sao Paulo were forced to endure a nerve-wracking final half hour.

The Brazilian team will face the winner of Colombia's Nacional de Medellin and Peru's Cesar Vallejo in the semi-finals. The winner of the Copa Sudamericana will earn a berth in next year's Copa Libertadores, South America's top club competition.