SAO PAULO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Former Arsenal defender Cedric Soares converted the decisive spot-kick as Sao Paulo beat Atletico Nacional on penalties to advance to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals on Tuesday.

After a goalless draw in last week's first leg in Medellin, Andre Silva put the Brazilian side ahead at Morumbi stadium by nodding home from Alan Franco's corner.

The Colombian side showed greater initiative after halftime and Alfredo Morelos equalized from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Enzo Diaz.

Nacional was forced to play the last 25 minutes with 10 men after Edwin Cardona was sent off for a second bookable offense.

With the scores locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match went to penalties and Soares held his nerve with his team's fifth attempt as the Tricolor Paulista prevailed 4-3 in the shootout.

"We have a lot of room for improvement," Sao Paulo manager Hernan Crespo told a post-match news conference. "We played against a very difficult rival with great experience and tactical organization. It's true that we had good moments but we need to do better."

In other round-of-16 second-leg fixtures on Tuesday, Racing Club advanced by virtue of a 3-1 home win over Penarol, and Velez Sarsfield progressed after a 2-0 victory over Fortaleza in Buenos Aires. ■