The Copa Libertadores is the showcase tournament for South American club football, that is not to say though that the tournament is always dominated by the giants of the continent In 2016, the final saw Atletico Nacional come up against Independiente del Valle of Ecuador, with the Colombian side coming out as winners and 2013 saw Olimpia of Paraguay reach the final where they were defeated by Atletico Mineiro of Brazil. Unlike the UEFA Champions League then, there is still a chance for the smaller sides to come out as winners or at least reach the latter stages.
The 2018 final however saw the exception to that rule with the final coming down to two sides who count amongst the giants of South American and world football in River Plate and Boca Juniors, as an added dimension to this match these also represent the most storied rivalry in Argentinean football and hail from the same city, Buenos Aries.
Such was the depth of feeling surrounding this fixture that this second leg of the final had to be at first delayed and then moved completely to Spain after the River Plate fans attacked the Boca Juniors bus as it was heading towards the Estadio Monumental, the home stadium of River Plate, to play the second leg. The change of venue did not, however, dampen the sense of intrigue around the fixture. People around the World wanted to see this match and gauge the quality of South American football. Were they then disappointed? It is hard to say, the quality of football on display was at times lacking with tactical and technical errors littering the play but the passion and spectacle as a whole were unlike anything that we see in European football with the exception of one or two specific matches.
It took extra time, a sending off and the introduction of a mercurial talent to settle the tie but River came out victorious, how exactly did they manage that?
Team News
No huge surprises from either team in terms of the way that they lined up in this match. The home side relies largely on experience with the likes of Franco Armani in goal and Leonardo Ponzio and Enzo Perez in the midfield. That experience is carried on into the attack with Gonzalo Martinez and Luca Pratto being joined by Ignacio Fernandez. Gone are the days of River being populated largely by young and exciting young players with their places being taken by older players moving back to Argentinian football following a spell in Europe.
Boca Juniors, on the other hand, combine youth with experience more effectively with the likes of Wilmar Barrios and Cristian Pavon attracting admiring glances from European sides. In Dario Benedetto, Boca also have one of the most dangerous forward players in South American football.
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