1977 Copa Libertadores Finals
The 1977 Copa Libertadores Finals was the final two-legged tie to determine the 1977 Copa Libertadores champion. It was contested by Argentine club Boca Juniors and Brazilian club Cruzeiro. The first leg of the tie was played on 6 September at Boca Juniors' home field, La Bombonera, while the second leg was played on 11 September at Cruzeiro's venue, Estadio Mineirão. It was Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro 2nd Copa Libertadores finals.
| Event | 1977 Copa Libertadores | ||||||
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| Tied 2–2 on points; after a playoff match, Boca Juniors won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 6 September 1977 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Referee | Roque Cerullo (Uruguay) | ||||||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
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| Date | 11 September 1977 | ||||||
| Venue | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte | ||||||
| Referee | César Orozco (Peru) | ||||||
| Attendance | 80,000 | ||||||
| Play-off | |||||||
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| After extra time | |||||||
| Date | 14 September 1977 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo | ||||||
| Referee | Vicente Llobregat, (Venezuela) | ||||||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||||||
Boca Juniors won the series after winning the penalty shootout of a tie-breaking playoff 5–4 at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario,[1][2] therefore winning their first Copa Libertadores after the final lost in 1963 v. Santos.[3]
Qualified teams
| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
 Boca Juniors | 1963 |
 Cruzeiro | 1976 |
Bold indicates winning years
Rules
The finals were played over two legs; home and away. The team that accumulated the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs would be crowned the champion. If the two teams tied on points after the second leg, a playoff in a neutral venue would become the next tie-breaker.
Stadiums
Matches
First leg
      Boca Juniors
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Cruzeiro
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Second leg
| Cruzeiro | 1–0 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
Nelinho  76' |
Report |
Cruzeiro
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   Boca Juniors
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Playoff
| Boca Juniors | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Cruzeiro |
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| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
Mouzo  Tesare Zanabria Pernía Felman |
5–4 | Darci Neca Moraes Livio Vanderlei |
Boca Juniors
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Cruzeiro
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Notes
Once the playoff extra time finished, Venezuelan referee Vicente Llobregat did not allow Boca Juniors coaching staff to enter the pitch to talk with the men chosen to kick the penalties. Therefore manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo took pen and paper to write the names of players designed to kick, they were Pernía, Tesare, Zanabria, Felman and Mouzo. On the bottom, he wrote the word "abajo" (down) to indicate them where to shot.
Because of coaching staffs were not allowed to enter the field, one of the ball boys gave the paper to captain Rubén Suñé, then the players ordering themselves to kick the penalties.[1]
Look, I'm gonna be sincere to you because I'm not in the mood for jokes. The ball impacted on me. I moved and the ball impacted on me. Vanderley shot directly to my left side and we won the cup. It was the destiny.[1]
— Hugo Gatti, who stopped the last penalty that allowed Boca Juniors to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history
References
- Boca, la primera vez on El Gráfico
- 1977 Copa Libertadores by John Beuker and Pablo Ciullini on RSSSF
- A 40 años de la primera Libertadores de Boca, Diario Popular, 14 September 2017