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Copa Libertadores: Flamengo beat River Plate with two late goals

By Saj ChowdhuryBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments131

Gabriel Barbosa scored twice in a dramatic final five minutes as Flamengo came from a goal down to beat River Plate 2-1 and win their first Copa Libertadores title since 1981.

The Brazilian giants were second best for much of the match after Rafael Santos Borre swept home from Matias Suarez's pull-back in the 14th minute to the delight of the River fans inside the 80,000-capacity Estadio Monumental in Lima.

The 24-year-old Colombian was then inches away from making it 2-0 with a sweet strike from 25 yards out.

Flamengo's best chances of an equaliser came in the space of a few seconds when Barbosa had a shot blocked and Everton Ribeiro's follow up was well held by keeper Franco Armani.

But then came the late fightback that turned the final on its head.

First, Barbosa timed his run to perfection to turn in Bruno Henrique's square ball, then the striker on loan from Inter Milan outmuscled the defence in the penalty box to slot in a 92nd-minute winner.

There was still time for two red cards in the final few seconds, with Exequiel Palacios sent off for kicking Henrique while he was on the ground before Flamengo's two-goal hero was sent off for sarcastic applause.

The final of South America's biggest club football competition, which started life in 1960, was moved from Santiago to the Peruvian city because of social unrest in Chile's capital.

This was the first time since 1988 that the tournament has been decided in a one-off game.

Supporters from both sides occupied Lima's streets in their thousands before the match, with reports stating some River fans travelled the 2,500 miles from Buenos Aires to Peru by buses provided by the club.external-link

Flamengo have now qualified for the 2019 Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar and could face European champions Liverpool if they both reach the final on 21 December.

Estadio Monumental
The Estadio Monumental is located next to a low mountain range on the western edge of Lima
Christ The Reedeemer
The Flamengo shirt was projected on to Rio's famous Christ The Reedeemer statue on the eve of the match
River Plate fans
River Plate fans packed the streets of Lima in the build-up
Stormtroopers
Two Star Wars Stormtroopers walked past the Copa Libertadores trophy before the start of the match
River Plate fans
And the supporters later inhabited large areas of the stadium
Flamengo fans
Flamengo fans travelled in large numbers to Peru
Flamengo fan dressed as Batman
Perhaps Batman inspired Flamengo to their first title since 1981
Flamengo fans
Flamengo fans celebrate at their club's Maracana Stadium in Rio

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131 comments

  • Comment posted by Terje, at 23:07 23 Nov 2019

    You have to give credit to the South Americans for seemingly every ticket was sold to a fan of 1 of the 2 clubs. None of this 6000 to each club and the other 50,000 to business men bs.

    Also to those moaning that they don't care about the game, don't click on the article. Have you really got nothing better to do with your Saturday nights than comment on articles you don't care about?

  • Comment posted by Cinderella Man, at 22:58 23 Nov 2019

    I appear to be the only person in the country that looks forward to and enjoys this pre-Christmas football treat Copa Libertadoras final. It should become a regular live transmission on BBC or other free television channel. The best South American teams are not as strong as my younger days because their best talent is playing in Europe but still a grand occasion and rare chance to see famous teams

  • Comment posted by BRYAN666, at 22:37 23 Nov 2019

    Enjoyed the coverage from the BBC - largely enjoyed it

    Not sure why Tom @5 needs to have this weird sly dig at women though - enjoy things for what they are mate - comparison is the killer of joy.

  • Comment posted by KrylyaSovetov, at 23:04 23 Nov 2019

    It's funny how everyone talks about the "poor quality of football on display", yet seem to forget that the exact same thing could be said about the CL final only 5 months ago.

  • Comment posted by Antonio, at 22:43 23 Nov 2019

    People here commenting about the poor quality of the game... I don't disagree, but it's not like the Liverpool v Tottenham Champions League final was anything to be impressed with. It's a final, players' adrenaline are running high. Both teams are capable of a lot more than they showed today.

  • Comment posted by Nando, at 22:46 23 Nov 2019

    Honestly, what do you guys think is going to happen to the quality of South American football when you Europeans poach all our players before they're even 18 years old? Football is football. Not everyone has access to the money bags you Europeans have but we all like playing it nonetheless.

  • Comment posted by SolmonO, at 23:28 23 Nov 2019

    I really don't get people who moan that they don't care. Have you really got nothing better to do with your life than click on an article you don't care about, read an article you don't care about and bore us all to death by writing 'i don't care' at the bottom of it?

  • Comment posted by Fasybmxracer, at 22:59 23 Nov 2019

    Can someone explain that child’s beard in the final picture??

  • Comment posted by alderman12345, at 09:36 24 Nov 2019

    Great to see this game shown live on the BBC. They should do this more often instead of showing poxy women's games.

  • Comment posted by Duncan, at 01:05 24 Nov 2019

    Having the fortunate opportunity to live in Brazil and experience the passion of Latin american football fans first hand I find the level of negativity in these comments depressing.
    Parabéns Flamengo. I hope to see a great game in Qatar but just a different result to 1981! 😉

  • Comment posted by Superd79, at 07:44 24 Nov 2019

    Really enjoyed the game, great spectacle, more of this please BBC!

    See, you don’t have to resort to women’s football all the time!

  • Comment posted by thetruthbelow, at 08:47 24 Nov 2019

    Talk about a smash and grab!

    The passion of the South American fans is great to watch.

    But the comparison to our game is silly.

    Football is like a religion to them because most of them are potless, no prawn sandwich brigade or corporate hospitality packages there.

    Bit like how footie was here until the middle classes hijacked it

  • Comment posted by Sergio9320, at 23:24 23 Nov 2019

    Only football could make people feel like that the world over.

    Desperate for River Plate, best feeling on earth for Flamengo fans.

  • Comment posted by Kitson, at 22:28 23 Nov 2019

    ‘The Flamengo shirt was projected on to Rio's famous Christ The Reedeemer statue on the eve of the match‘

    That’s nothing, Newcastle fans managed to put the Newcastle strip physically onto the Angel of the North physically for the FA Cup Final.

  • Comment posted by jose antonio monteiro carmo, at 09:54 24 Nov 2019

    I agree with people that praised BBC's decision to show this football match . It was a success . Let's hope this sort of decision will continue .

  • Comment posted by This name is awaiting moderation, at 23:38 23 Nov 2019

    Thank you, Flamengo. Obrigado Brazil. Love. The rest of the world.

  • Comment posted by modernfootballstinks, at 10:35 24 Nov 2019

    Rather watch this, than the women

  • Comment posted by d_triumph, at 00:55 24 Nov 2019

    Also the the amount of heavy tackles that would have been yellows in the prem after which the ref just waved play on was kinda refreshing for a neutral. makes you realise how soft players are and how gullible refs are in top level european football these days.

  • Comment posted by IsayIsayIsay, at 07:08 24 Nov 2019

    How can you report on a cup final without mentioning the score?

    Pathetic journalism.

  • Comment posted by AnnahBJ4, at 23:45 23 Nov 2019

    What an ending, Flamengo weren't at their best today but they're a good side. Look forward to playing them in the club world cup should we both make the final!