1961 Copa Libertadores
The 1961 Copa de Campeones de América was the second season of the competition, South America's prized football tournament. Nine teams entered, two more than the previous season, with Venezuela not sending a representative. In order to further enhance the competition, CONMEBOL maintained the criteria of having regional clashes in order to take advantage of the cross-border rivalries
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 2 - June 11 |
| Teams | 9 (from 9 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Peñarol (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Palmeiras |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 52 (3.25 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Osvaldo Panzutto (4 goals) |
Although Peñarol also won their national league, this became the first and, so far, only time the defending champions did not qualify automatically to the next edition. Nevertheless, the Manyas successfully defended their title by defeating Palmeiras in the final.
Qualified teams
| Country | Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina 1 berth |
Independiente | 1960 Primera División champion |
 Bolivia1 berth |
Jorge Wilstermann | 1960 Copa Simón Bolívar champion |
| Brazil 1 berth |
Palmeiras | 1960 Taça Brasil champion |
 Chile1 berth |
Colo-Colo | 1960 Primera División champion |
 Colombia1 berth |
Santa Fe | 1960 Campeonato Profesional champion |
 Ecuador1 berth |
Barcelona | 1960 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol champion |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Paraguay1 berth |
Olimpia | 1960 Primera División champion |
 Peru1 berth |
Universitario | 1960 Primera División champion |
| Uruguay 1 berth |
Peñarol | 1960 Primera División champion |
Format
Each match-up was a two-team group stage. Because of the increase in participants, a preliminary group was implemented in the competition, with the rest following the previous season's format. Wins were awarded two points, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. The team with the most points after a home and away game advanced to the next stage.
If the teams still remained tied, goal difference will become a factor. A one-game playoff would be implemented in case the teams are still tied. A draw of lots was to become the last solution to breaking a tie. Controversially, Independiente Santa Fe and Jorge Wilstermann tied on points which would have required a playoff; CONMEBOL, however, scrapped the idea and decided that the last semifinal slot was to be given by a draw of lots which the Colombians won.
Tournament bracket
| Preliminary round | First round | Semi-finals | Finals | |||||||||||||||
 Olimpia |
5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Colo-Colo |
2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Olimpia |
1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Peñarol |
3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Universitario |
0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Peñarol |
5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Peñarol |
1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
 Palmeiras |
0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Palmeiras |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Independiente |
0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| Palmeiras |
2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Santa Fe |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Barcelona |
0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Santa Fe |
3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Santa Fe |
2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Jorge Wilstermann |
3 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Preliminary round
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 |
| Barcelona | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
First round
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olimpia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 2 |
| Colo-Colo | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
| April 9, 1961 | Colo-Colo | 2 – 5 | Olimpia | Estadio Nacional, Santiago |
Hormazabal  Toro |
Cabral Ferreira González |
Attendance: 17,780 Referee: Esteban Marino (Uruguay) |
| April 16, 1961 | Olimpia | 1 – 2 | Colo-Colo | Estadio Manuel Ferreira, Asunción |
| González |
Hormazabal Álvarez |
Attendance: ≈35,000 Referee: Pablo Victor Vaga (Uruguay) |
Olimpia drew 2–2 with Colo-Colo on point aggregate. Olimpia progressed to the semifinals due to better goal difference.
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 2 |
| Universitario | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 |
| April 19, 1961 | Peñarol | 5 – 0 | Universitario | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo |
| Joya 36', 63' Spencer 44', 77'Sasía 85' |
Attendance: 57,630 Referee: Carlos Robles (Chile) |
| April 30, 1961 | Universitario | 2 – 0 | Peñarol | Estadio Nacional, Lima |
| Uribe 30' Iwasaki 37' |
Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Carlos Robles (Chile) |
Peñarol drew 2–2 with Universitario on point aggregate. Peñarol progressed to the semifinals due to better goal difference.
Group 3
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| Independiente | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 |
| May 4, 1961 | Independiente | 0 – 2 | Palmeiras | Estadio Juan Domingo Perón, Avellaneda |
| Gildo Zequinha |
Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Jose Dimas Larrosa (Paraguay) |
| May 11, 1961 | Palmeiras | 1 – 0 | Independiente | Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo |
| Scotto |
Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Jose Dimas Larrosa (Paraguay) |
Group 4
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Jorge Wilstermann | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| April 30, 1961 | Jorge Wilstermann | 3 – 2 | Santa Fe | Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba |
| López 8', 76' Sanchez 17' |
Panzutto 13' Castro 86' |
Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Carlos Robles (Chile) |
| May 7, 1961 | Santa Fe | 1 – 0 | Jorge Wilstermann | Estadio El Campín, Bogotá |
| Claure 26' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Luis Ventre (Argentina) |
Independiente Santa Fe drew 2–2 with Jorge Wilstermann on point aggregate and goal difference. No playoff was disputed to determine the winner. Independiente Santa Fe progressed to the semifinals after a draw of lots.
Semifinals
Four teams were drawn into two groups of two teams each. In each group, teams played against each other home and away. The top team in each group advanced to the Finals.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 3 |
| Santa Fe | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 |
| May 21, 1961 | Santa Fe | 2 – 2 | Palmeiras | Estadio El Campín, Bogotá |
| Perazzo 8' Castro 52' |
Gildo 7' Chinesinho 39' |
Attendance: 35,000 Referee: João Etzel Filho (Brazil) |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
| Olimpia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 |
| May 21, 1961 | Peñarol | 3 – 1 | Olimpia | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo |
| Joya 20' Cubilla 73'Cano 87' |
González 50' |
Attendance: 42,000 Referee: Carlos Nai Foino (Argentina) |
Finals
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Palmeiras | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
| June 4, 1961 | Peñarol | 1 − 0 | Palmeiras | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo |
| Spencer 89' |
Attendance: 64,376 Referee: José Luis Praddaude (Argentina) |
Champion
| Copa Libertadores de América 1961 Winner |
|---|
Peñarol Second Title |
Top goalscorers
| Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Osvaldo Panzutto |
Santa Fe |
4 |
| 2 | Alberto Perazzo |
Santa Fe |
3 |
| Benicio Ferreira |
Olimpia |
3 | |
| Juan Joya |
Peñarol |
3 | |
| Jose Francisco Sasía |
Peñarol |
3 | |
| Alberto Spencer |
Peñarol |
3 |