Santiago Solari struck late as Racing advanced to the Copa Libertadores semifinals on Tuesday with a 1-0 home win over Argentine rivals Velez Sarsfield.

Solari bundled home from point-blank range in the 82nd minute after Gabriel Rojas' cross from the left flank.

Despite controlling most of the possession, Velez had only one shot on target for the night.

The result at El Cilindro in Buenos Aires gave Racing a 2-0 victory on aggregate and set up a place in the last four against either Flamengo or Estudiantes.

"Our confidence is growing with every match," Racing manager Gustavo Costas told a post-match news conference.

"I'm very proud of the way the players approached tonight's game. We should have wrapped it up earlier than we did but the important thing was to win. Now we're among the best four teams in the competition and we want to go all the way."

Racing is aiming to win South American football's premier club trophy for a second time, 58 years after its first triumph.