River defeat Boca to claim fourth Copa Libertadores

World
Europe

One of the most anticipated matches in South American soccer finally came to a conclusion in Madrid on Sunday, with River Plate celebrating victory over fierce Argentine rival Boca Juniors in the twice-suspended final of the Copa Libertadores.

Nearly a month after the first leg was played in Argentina, River came from behind to defeat Boca 3-1 in the second leg after extra time to win South America's equivalent of the Champions League 5-3 on aggregate. It was River's fourth Copa Libertadores title, and first since 2015.

After reaching 1-1 after 90 minutes on Sunday, River went ahead when Juan Fernando Quintero scored four minutes into the second half of extra time, and Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez added a third goal in the final minutes of the high-profile “Superclasico” at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Dario Benedetto had opened the scoring in normal time just before halftime for Boca, and Lucas Pratto equalized for River in the 67th.

Boca had Wilmar Barrios sent off early in extra time and then had Fernando Gago leave the field near the end because of an injury.

The first leg at Boca's La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires ended 2-2.

“River was the better team throughout the entire tournament,” said Matias Biscay, River's assistant coach who replaced the suspended Marcelo Gallardo. “Our team played against the toughest opponents and knew how to overcome them. And in the final against our rival, we were superior in both matches.”

Fans of River Plate celebrate after winning the Copa Libertadores in Buenos Aires, December 9, 2018. /VCG Photo

A total of 10,000 fans made the long journey over from Argentina for the occasion, with the nation's considerable expatriate communities across Europe (250,000 reside in Spain alone) also flooding into the Spanish capital, creating a carnival atmosphere that was mostly cordial.

The VIP box was stuffed with the biggest names in the game, from Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone and forward Antoine Griezmann, to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Real chief Florentino Perez.

With the victory, River Plate will represent South America in FIFA's Club World Cup this month.

Source(s): AP ,Reuters