Sao Paulo held Argentine club Tigre to a goaless draw in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at the Bombonera Stadium on Wednesday.

Both teams were reduced to 10 men after former Brazil international striker Luis Fabiano and Tigre's Alejandro Donatti were shown straight red cards for an altercation in the 15th minute.

Tigre looked most likely to score in a tense second half, but the hosts couldn't convert their chances onto the scoresheet.

"I think the team was nervous and a little too anxious," Sao Paulo's goalkeeper and captain Rogerio Ceni told TV Globo after the match.

"Today we weren't at our best and didn't manage to play like we have in the last few weeks of the Brazilian championship."

Sao Paulo will begin next Wednesday's deciding leg at home needing only a 1-0 victory to secure the continent's second most important club tournament after the Copa Libertadores.