1966 Copa Libertadores

The 1966 Copa Libertadores de América was the seventh edition of the competition, the premier South American club football tournament, organized by CONMEBOL. Colombia and Brazil did not send their representatives. This edition became the first club competition of the world to include the runners-up of each of its participating association. Despite the fact that Colombian and Brazilian clubs did not participate, this tournament saw a record 95 matches being played out to determine this year's champion.

1966 Copa Libertadores de América
Tournament details
DatesFebruary 5 - April 15
Teams17 (from 8 confederations)
Final positions
Champions Peñarol (3rd title)
Runners-up River Plate
Tournament statistics
Matches played95
Goals scored283 (2.98 per match)
Top scorer(s) Daniel Onega (17 goals)

Colombia did not send a representative due to the disagreements between CONMEBOL and the Colombian football federations. The Brazilians protested the inclusion of the runners-up of each nation and argued that the tournament should be reserved for national champions. That led them to become denatured and the powers reserved only for the champions, in addition to the priority order they gave their interstate tournaments and the many unattractive encounters-to-come against teams from the "Pacific", the Brazilian clubs opted for tours around the world instead as they were seen more economically rewarding. Not having any economic incentives, CONMEBOL was forced to allow clubs the freedom of whether they participated or not. This trend will continue for the next 5 editions.

After winning each of their home legs, Peñarol and River Plate required a playoff to break the deadlock. The match was played in the Estadio Nacional of Santiago, Chile. River Plate finished the first half 2-0 and was in cruise control towards its first title. The manyas managed to revert the disadvantage to push this match into extra time. With two more goals, the final score of 2-4 meant that Peñarol became the first three-time winners of the competition. The collapse of River Plate in the second half led the club to being known, even now, as the "gallinas".

Qualified teams

Country Team Qualification method
CONMEBOL
1 berth
Independiente 1965 Copa Libertadores winners
 Argentina
1 berth
Boca Juniors 1965 Primera División champion
River Plate 1965 Primera División runner-up
 Bolivia
1 berth
Deportivo Municipal 1965 Copa Simón Bolívar champion
Jorge Wilstermann 1965 Copa Simón Bolívar runner-up
 Chile
1 berth
Universidad de Chile 1965 Primera División champion
Universidad Católica 1965 Primera División runner-up
 Ecuador
1 berth
Emelec 1965 Campeonato Ecuatoriano champion
9 de Octubre 1965 Campeonato Ecuatoriano runner-up
 Paraguay
1 berth
Olimpia 1965 Primera División champion
Guaraní 1965 Primera División runner-up
 Peru
1 berth
Alianza Lima 1965 Primera División champion
Universitario 1965 Primera División runner-up
 Uruguay
1 berth
Peñarol 1965 Primera División champion
Nacional 1965 Primera División runner-up
 Venezuela
1 berth
Lara 1965 Primera División champion
Deportivo Italia 1965 Primera División runner-up

Tie-breaking criteria

At each stage of the tournament teams receive 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria will be applied to determine the ranking in the group stage:

  1. a one-game playoff;
  2. superior goal difference;
  3. draw of lots.

First round

Sixteen teams were drawn into two groups of six and one group of four. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top two teams in each group advanced to the Semifinals. Independiente, the title holders, had a bye to the next round.

Group 1

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
River Plate 10811238+1517
Boca Juniors 10703199+1014
Universitario 104331013-311
Deportivo Italia 104241518-310
Alianza Lima 10208916-74
Lara 10127517-124
February 10, 1966 River Plate 2 1 Boca Juniors Buenos Aires
Sarnari
Bayo
Rojas
February 12, 1966 Lara 0 0 Universitario Barquisimeto
February 15, 1966 Lara 1 2 River Plate Barquisimeto
Didi II Onega
February 17, 1966 Universitario 2 1 Boca Juniors Lima
Challe
Casaretto
Zarich
February 23, 1966 Deportivo Italia 1 2 Boca Juniors Caracas
Vicente Zarich
Rojas
February 23, 1966 Universitario 1 1 River Plate Lima
Casaretto Onega
February 25, 1966 Lara 0 3 Boca Juniors Barquisimeto
Rojas
Luna
March 1, 1966 Alianza Lima 1 2 Deportivo Italia Lima
Renato  o.g.' Zeica
March 2, 1966 Boca Juniors 2 1 Lara Buenos Aires
López
Rojas
Bezerra
March 4, 1966 River Plate 3 0 Lara Buenos Aires
Loayza
Delem
March 8, 1966 River Plate 3 2 Alianza Lima Buenos Aires
Loayza
Onega
Zywica
Zegarra
March 8, 1966 Universitario 1 0 Lara Lima
Córdova
March 13, 1966 Alianza Lima 3 0 Lara Lima
Zegarra
Reyes
March 17, 1966 Deportivo Italia 1 0 Lara Caracas
Nitti

Group 2

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Universidad Católica 623195+47
Guaraní 62229906
Olimpia 6222710-36
Universidad de Chile 613267-15
February 27, 1966 Olimpia 3 3 Guaraní Asunción
Apodaca
Torres
González
González
Ivaldi
March 16, 1966 Guaraní 3 1 Universidad Católica Asunción
Patiño
González
Arámbulo
Fouilloux
March 20, 1966 Guaraní 2 0 Olimpia Asunción
González
Martínez
March 23, 1966 Second
place playoff
Guaraní 2 1 Olimpia Asunción
González González

Group 3

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Peñarol 108022010+1016
Nacional 107122210+1215
Jorge Wilstermann 104241414010
Deportivo Municipal 104152122-19
Emelec 104061518-38
9 de Octubre 101091331-182
January 30, 1966 Emelec 2 1 9 de Octubre Guayaquil
Pulido
Lencina
Fernández
January 30, 1966 Nacional 4 0 Peñarol Montevideo
Morales
Techera
Virgili
Pérez
February 2, 1966 Deportivo Municipal 3 2 Nacional La Paz
Di Meglio
Quevedo
Oyarbide
Virgili
February 2, 1966 Jorge Wilstermann 1 0 Peñarol Cochabamba
García
February 6, 1966 Emelec 0 2 Nacional Guayaquil
Pérez
Méndez
February 9, 1966 9 de Octubre 2 3 Nacional Guayaquil
Álvarez  o.g.'
Fernández
Morales
Pérez
February 9, 1966 Emelec 1 2 Peñarol Guayaquil
Calonga Cortés
Joya
February 19, 1966 Emelec 3 1 Jorge Wilstermann Guayaquil
Lencina
Calonga
Soria
February 19, 1966 9 de Octubre 3 4 Deportivo Municipal Guayaquil
Bono
Fernández
Grijo
Moyano
Castillo
February 24, 1966 9 de Octubre 3 2 Jorge Wilstermann Guayaquil
Fernández
Bono
Grijo
García
López
February 24, 1966 Emelec 2 1 Deportivo Municipal Guayaquil
Lencina
Merizalde
Di Meglio
March 8, 1966 Nacional 1 0 Emelec Montevideo
Oyarbide
March 11, 1966 Nacional 3 1 9 de Octubre Montevideo
Ramos
Morales
Fernández
March 11, 1966 Peñarol 4 1 Emelec Montevideo
Silva
Alfano
Bolaños
March 13, 1966 Jorge Wilstermann 2 1 Emelec Cochabamba
López
Zabalaga
Pineda
March 17, 1966 Jorge Wilstermann 4 1 9 de Octubre Cochabamba
García
Agreda
López
Fernández
March 17, 1966 Deportivo Municipal 4 1 Emelec La Paz
Torres
Moyano
Aguirre
Bolaños
March 19, 1966 Deportivo Municipal 5 1 9 de Octubre La Paz
Moyano
Caínzo
Castillo
Espinoza
Aguirre
Fernández
March 23, 1966 9 de Octubre 0 4 Emelec Guayaquil
Lencina
Fernández  o.g.'

Semifinals

Seven teams were drawn into two groups, one of four and the other of three. 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
River Plate 6321138+58
Independiente 632196+38
Boca Juniors 623176+17
Guaraní 6015514-91
March 30, 1966 Guaraní 1 3 Boca Juniors Asunción
González Menéndez
Rojas
April 6, 1966 Guaraní 1 3 River Plate Asunción
González Solari
Onega
Loayza
April 14, 1966 River Plate 2 2 Boca Juniors Buenos Aires
Sarnari
Silvero  o.g.'
Madurga
Rojas
April 19, 1966 Boca Juniors 1 1 Guaraní Buenos Aires
Rojas Melgarejo
April 21, 1966 River Plate 3 1 Guaraní Buenos Aires
Onega
Loayza
Martínez
April 26, 1966 Independiente 2 1 Guaraní Avellaneda
Tarabini
Savoy
Navarro  o.g.'

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Peñarol 430161+56
Universidad Católica 420245-14
Nacional 410337-42

Finals

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Peñarol210143+12
River Plate210134-12
Peñarol 2–0 River Plate
Abbadie  74'
Joya  84'
Attendance: 46,041
Referee: Roberto Goicoechea (Argentina)

River Plate 3–2 Peñarol
D. Onega  37'
Sarnari  56'
E. Onega  69'
Rocha  35'
Spencer  53'
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: José María Codesal (Uruguay)

Playoff
River Plate 2–4 (a.e.t.) Peñarol
D. Onega  27'
Solari  42'
Spencer  65', 102'
Abbadie  71'
Rocha  109'
Attendance: 40,240
Referee: Claudio Vicuña (Chile)

Champion

Copa Libertadores de América
1966 Champion

Peñarol
Third Title

Top goalscorers

Pos Player Team Goals
1 Daniel Onega River Plate 17
2 Pedro Rocha Peñarol 10
3 Alfredo Hugo Rojas Boca Juniors 7
Julio César Morales Nacional 7
Orlando Virgili Nacional 7
Agostino Nitti Deportivo Italia 7
Salomón Moyano Deportivo Municipal 7
Gerardo González Olimpia 7
Hugo Lencina Emelec 7
Cirilo Fernández 9 de Octubre 7
Ausberto García Jorge Wilstermann 7

Footnotes

A. ^ The match finished 1-1, but Universitario were declared 0-1 winners as Alianza fielded two ineligible players: Catalá and Cruz.
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