1968 Copa Libertadores Finals

The 1968 Copa Libertadores Finals was the final two-legged tie to determine the 1968 Copa Libertadores champion.[1] It was contested by Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata and Brazilian club Palmeiras. The first leg of the tie was played on 2 May at Estudiantes' home field, with the second leg played on 7 May at Palmeiras'. Estudiantes and Palmeiras played in their 1st and 2nd Copa Libertadores finals, respectively. Palmeiras last appearance was in 1961, in which they were beaten by defending champions Peñarol. Estudiantes was appearing in their first ever final ever.[2]

1968 Copa Libertadores Finals
Event1968 Copa Libertadores
2–2 on points
Estudiantes won after a play-off
First leg
Date2 May 1968
VenueEstudiantes, La Plata
RefereeEsteban Marino (Uruguay)
Second leg
Date7 May 1968
VenuePacaembu, São Paulo
RefereeDomingo Massaro (Chile)
Play-off
Date16 May 1968 (1968-05-16)
VenueEstadio Centenario, Montevideo
RefereeCésar Orozco (Peru)
Attendance55,000

Estudiantes won the series after winning a tie-breaking playoff 2-0 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.[3]

Qualified teams

Team Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
Estudiantes (LP) None
Palmeiras 1961

Venues

Estudiantes de La Plata, Pacaembu and Centenario were the venues for the finals

Rules

The finals will be played over two legs; home and away. The team that accumulates the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs will be crowned the champion. Should the two teams be tied on points after the second leg a playoff was at a neutral venue will become the next tie-breaker. Goal difference is going to be used as a last resort.

Route to the Finals

Palmeiras qualified to the 1968 Copa Libertadores as the 1967 Taça Brasil champions, defeating Náutico 2-0 in a playoff played at the Estádio do Maracanã. This was Palmeiras' second title in the competition. Estudiantes qualified as runners-up of the 1967 Torneo Nacional. The team did win the 1967 Metropolitano after defeating Copa Libertadores holders Racing Club.

Estudiantes Round Palmeiras
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Estudiantes 6510123+911
Independiente 6213810-25
Deportivo Cali 6213610-45
Millonarios 611469-33

First round
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Palmeiras 6510123+911
Dep. Portugués 6213511+65
Náutico 612378-14
Deportivo Galicia 620457-24

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Estudiantes 430142+26
Independiente 420273+44
Universitario 410317-62
Second round
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Palmeiras 430174+36
Guaraní 42027704
U. Católica 410369-32
Opponent Result (on points) Legs
Semifinals
Opponent Result (on points) Legs
Racing 2–2
(goal difference)
3–0 home; 2–0 away
1–1 playoff
Peñarol 4–0 1–0 home; 1–2 away

First round

Estudiantes was drawn into Group 1 alongside Independiente, winners of the 1964 and 1965 editions of this tournament, and Colombian sides Deportivo Cali and Millonarios. The Pincharatas surprisingly cruised to the second round, assuring qualification, with a match to spare, after a run of 4 consecutive victories and a tie. Estudiantes defeated Independiente 2-4 in Avellaneda and won 0-1 and 1-2 in Colombia against Millonarios and Deportivo Cali, respectively. A 3-0 victory at home against Deportivo Cali was followed by a 0-0 draw vs Millonarios, which assured Estudiantes place into the second round. Estudiantes will beat Independiente 2-0 in their last match of this phase.

Palmeiras was drawn into Group 5. They were joined by fellow Brazilian club Náutico and Venezuelan outfits Deportivo Portugués and Deportivo Galicia. Like Estudiatnes, Palmeiras started their campaign well with a 5-victory streak that assured them of a place in the second round, with Tupãzinho, Ademir and Servílio being key players for the Verdão (tying 0-0 in their last, meaningless match against Náutico). The first match saw Palmeiras win in Recife 1-3 against Náutico. Two 1-2 away victories against the Venezuelan teams was followed by 1-0 win over Deportivo Galicia and a 2-0 triumph over Deportivo Portugués.

Second round and Semifinals

The second round was another group phase. Estudiantes were drawn in Group A alongside Independiente and Universitario. Universitario gave Estudiantes their first defeat in the tournament, 1-0, in Lima. However, Estudiantes came back strongly to win the rest of their matches. The Pincharatas defeated, once again, Independiente home and away (1-0 and 1-2, respectively) and secured their place in the Semifinals with a 1-0 triumph over Universitario. In Group C, Tupãzinho, Ademir and Servílio continued to shine as Palmeiras made their way into the last four of the competition. A 4-1 rout of Universidad Católica was followed by a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Guaraní. Two hard-earned wins, one 0-1 scoreline in Santiago against Universidad Católica and a 2-1 win at home vs Guaraní, was enough to get Palmeiras through.

In the Semifinals, Estudiantes played against defending champions Racing. The first leg was played in La Plata. Estudiantes won the match 3−0 with goals from Roberto Perfumo and a brace from the emerging figure Juan Ramón Verón. The second leg, played at Avellaneda, was won by Racing 2-0 with goals by Humberto Maschio and Rubén Fucceneco. Since the series was tied on points (2-2 each), a playoff in Buenos Aires was contested; it ended in a 1-1 draw with Juan Carlos Cárdenas and Verón scoring for each of their clubs. Since the match finished in a tie, goal difference was taken into account and Estudiantes advanced to the finals.

Palmeiras' semifinal match-up was against Peñarol, three-time winners of the Copa Libertadores, in a rematch of the 1961 final which Peñarol won. This time, Palmeiras started out well winning the first leg, played at home in São Paulo, with a 1−0 with the goal coming from Tupãzinho. The second leg, played in Montevideo, ended with a 1-2 scoreline in favor of Palmeiras with a brace by Tupãzinho. Héctor Silva scored the manyas lone goal. With a point aggregate of 4-0, Palmeiras advanced to the finals.

Matches

First leg

First leg
Estudiantes 2–1 Palmeiras
J.R. Verón  83'
E. Flores  87'
Servilio  30'
Attendance: 35,000
Estudiantes
Palmeiras
GK Alberto José Poletti
DF Rodolfo Fucceneco
DF Hugo Spadaro
DF Raúl Madero
DF Oscar Malbernat
MF Carlos Pachamé
MF Carlos Bilardo
MF Eduardo Flores
FW Felipe Ribaudo
FW Marcos Conigliaro
FW Juan Ramón Verón
Substitutes:
FW Luis Lavezzi
Manager:
Osvaldo Zubeldía
GK de Moraes
DF Geraldo Scalera
DF Baldocchi
DF Osmar
DF Ferrari
MF Ademir
MF Dudú
FW Suingue
FW Tupãzinho
FW Servílio
FW Rinaldo
Manager:
Alfredo González

Second leg

Second leg
Palmeiras 3–1 Estudiantes
Tupãzinho  10',  68'
Rinaldo  54'
J.R. Verón  72'
Attendance: 40,000
Palmeiras
Estudiantes
GK Valdir Joaquim de Moraes
DF Geraldo Scalera
DF Baldocchi
DF Osmar
DF Ferrari
MF Ademir
MF Dudú
FW Servílio
FW Tupãzinho
FW Rinaldo
FW Suingue
Substitutes:
FW China
Manager:
Alfredo González
GK Alberto José Poletti
DF Hugo Spadaro
DF Raúl Madero
DF Rodolfo Fucceneco
DF Carlos Pachamé
DF Oscar Malbernat
MF Carlos Bilardo
MF Felipe Ribaudo
MF Eduardo Flores
FW Marcos Conigliaro
FW Juan Ramón Verón
Substitutes:
FW Néstor Togneri
Manager:
Osvaldo Zubeldía

Playoff

Playoff
Palmeiras 0–2 Estudiantes
Ribaudo  13'
J.R. Verón  82'
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: César Orozco (Peru)
Palmeiras
Estudiantes
GK Valdir Joaquim de Moraes
DF Geraldo Scalera
DF Baldocchi
DF Osmar
MF Ademir
MF Ferrari
MF Suingue
FW Dudú
FW Tupãzinho
FW Servílio
FW Rinaldo
Substitutes:
FW China
Manager:
Alfredo González
GK Alberto José Poletti
DF Ramón Suárez
DF Raúl Madero
DF Oscar Malbernat
MF Carlos Pachamé
DF José Medina
MF Carlos Bilardo
MF Eduardo Flores
FW Felipe Ribaudo
FW Marcos Conigliaro
FW Juan Ramón Verón
Manager:
Osvaldo Zubeldía

References

  1. "Zubeldía y sus muchachos. Un equipo que entró en la historia por la puerta grande". ManUtd.com. El Gráfico. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  2. 1968 Copa Libertadores by Pablo Ciullini, Martin Harris, John Beuker and José Luis Pierrend on the RSSSF
  3. El Estudiantes de Zubeldía, campeón de América on AFA website, 16 May 2018
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