2015 Copa Libertadores

The 2015 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2015 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 56th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.

2015 Copa Libertadores
2015 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores de América
Tournament details
DatesFebruary 3 – August 5, 2015
Teams38 (from 11 associations)
Final positions
Champions River Plate (3rd title)
Runners-up UANL
Tournament statistics
Matches played138
Goals scored342 (2.48 per match)
Top scorer(s) Gustavo Bou (8 goals)
Best player(s) Joffre Guerrón

Argentine team River Plate qualified to play in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2016 Recopa Sudamericana as the best-placed South American team,[2] before winning the final against Mexican team UANL 3–0 on aggregate to win their third title.[3] San Lorenzo were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the group stage.

Teams

The following 38 teams from 11 associations (the 10 CONMEBOL members plus Mexico which were invited to compete) qualified for the tournament:

  • Title holders
  • Argentina and Brazil: 5 berths each
  • All other associations: 3 berths each

The entry stage is determined as follows:

  • Second stage: 26 teams (top four teams from Argentina and Brazil, and top two teams from all other associations)
  • First stage: 12 teams (team with the lowest berth from each association, plus team with the second lowest berth from association of title holders)
Association Team (Berth) Entry stage Qualification method
Argentina
5+1 berths		 San Lorenzo (Argentina 1; Title holders) Second stage 2014 Copa Libertadores champion
River Plate (Argentina 2) 2014 Copa Sudamericana champion and 2014 Torneo Final champion[4]
Racing (Argentina 3) 2014 Torneo Transición champion[5]
Boca Juniors (Argentina 4) 2013–14 Primera División aggregate table best team not yet qualified[4]
Huracán (Argentina 5) First stage 2013–14 Copa Argentina champion[4]
Estudiantes (Argentina 6) 2014 Copa Sudamericana best Argentine team not yet qualified[4]
Bolivia
3 berths		 Universitario (Bolivia 1) Second stage 2014 Clausura champion[6]
San José (Bolivia 2) 2014 Clausura runner-up[6]
The Strongest (Bolivia 3) First stage 2014 Clausura 3rd place[6]
Brazil
5 berths		 Cruzeiro (Brazil 1) Second stage 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A champion[7]
Atlético Mineiro (Brazil 2) 2014 Copa do Brasil champion[7]
São Paulo (Brazil 3) 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A runner-up[7]
Internacional (Brazil 4) 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 3rd place[7]
Corinthians (Brazil 5) First stage 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 4th place[7]
Chile
3 berths		 Colo-Colo (Chile 1) Second stage 2014 Clausura champion[8]
Universidad de Chile (Chile 2) 2014 Apertura champion[9]
Palestino (Chile 3) First stage 2014 Apertura Liguilla winner[9]
Colombia
3 berths		 Atlético Nacional (Colombia 1) Second stage 2014 Apertura champion[10]
Santa Fe (Colombia 2) 2014 Finalización champion[10]
Once Caldas (Colombia 3) First stage 2014 Primera A aggregate table best team not yet qualified[10]
Ecuador
3 berths		 Emelec (Ecuador 1) Second stage 2014 Serie A champion[11]
Barcelona (Ecuador 2) 2014 Serie A runner-up[11]
Independiente del Valle (Ecuador 3) First stage 2014 Serie A aggregate table best team not yet qualified[11]
Mexico
(CONCACAF)
3 invitees		 UANL (Mexico 1) Second stage 2014 Apertura classification table best team not qualified for 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
Atlas (Mexico 2) 2014 Apertura classification table 2nd best team not qualified for 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
Morelia (Mexico 3) First stage 2014 Supercopa MX champion[12]
Paraguay
3 berths		 Libertad (Paraguay 1) Second stage 2014 Apertura champion and 2014 Clausura champion[13]
Guaraní (Paraguay 2) 2014 Primera División aggregate table 2nd best team[13]
Cerro Porteño (Paraguay 3) First stage 2014 Primera División aggregate table 3rd best team[13]
Peru
3 berths		 Sporting Cristal (Peru 1) Second stage 2014 Descentralizado champion[14]
Juan Aurich (Peru 2) 2014 Descentralizado runner-up[14]
Alianza Lima (Peru 3) First stage 2014 Torneo del Inca champion[14]
Uruguay
3 berths		 Danubio (Uruguay 1) Second stage 2013–14 Primera División champion[15]
Montevideo Wanderers (Uruguay 2) 2013–14 Primera División runner-up[15]
Nacional (Uruguay 3) First stage 2013–14 Primera División aggregate table best team not yet qualified[15]
Venezuela
3 berths		 Zamora (Venezuela 1) Second stage 2013–14 Primera División champion[16]
Mineros (Venezuela 2) 2013–14 Primera División runner-up[16]
Deportivo Táchira (Venezuela 3) First stage 2013–14 Primera División aggregate table best team not yet qualified[16]

Draw
Location of teams of the 2015 Copa Libertadores from South America.
Location of teams of the 2015 Copa Libertadores from Mexico.

The draw of the tournament was held on December 2, 2014 at the CONMEBOL Convention Centre in Luque, Paraguay.[17]

For the first stage, the 12 teams were drawn into six ties containing a team from Pot 1 and a team from Pot 2, with the former hosting the second leg. The seeding of each team was determined by which associations reached the furthest stage in the previous Copa Libertadores.[2]

Pots for the first stage draw
Pot A Pot B

For the second stage, the 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four containing one team from each of the four seeding pots. The seeding of each team was determined by their association and qualifying berth (as per the rotational agreement established by CONMEBOL, the teams which qualified through berths 1 from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela were seeded into Pot 1 for odd-numbered years, while the teams which qualified through berths 1 from Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay were seeded into Pot 1 for even-numbered years).[2] Teams from the same association in Pots 1 and 2 could not be drawn into the same group. However, a first stage winner, whose identity was not known at the time of the draw, could be drawn into the same group with another team from the same association.

Pots for the second stage draw
Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4
  • UANL
  • Atlas
  • Winner G1
  • Winner G2
  • Winner G3
  • Winner G4
  • Winner G5
  • Winner G6

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all dates listed were Wednesdays, but matches could also be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well).[18] There was a two-month break between the quarterfinals and semifinals due to the 2015 Copa América.

Stage First leg Second leg
First stage February 4 February 11
Second stage February 18, 25
March 4, 11, 18
April 1, 8, 15, 22
Round of 16 April 29[†]
May 6		 May 6[†], 13
Quarterfinals May 20 May 27
Semifinals July 15 July 22
Finals July 29 August 5
Notes
  1. † For matches involving teams from Mexico.

First stage
Main article: 2015 Copa Libertadores first stage

In the first stage, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (no extra time would be played). The six winners of the first stage advanced to the second stage to join the 26 automatic qualifiers.[2]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Alianza Lima 0–4 Huracán 0–4 0–0
Independiente del Valle 1–4 Estudiantes 1–0 0–4
Deportivo Táchira 4–3 Cerro Porteño 2–1 2–2
Morelia 1–3 The Strongest 1–1 0–2
Palestino 2–2 (a) Nacional 1–0 1–2
Corinthians 5–1 Once Caldas 4–0 1–1

Second stage
Main article: 2015 Copa Libertadores second stage

In the second stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order: 1. Goal difference; 2. Goals scored; 3. Away goals scored; 4. Drawing of lots. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the round of 16.[2]

Group 1
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SFE CAM CCL ATL
1 Santa Fe 6 4 0 2 10 5 +5 12 Advance to final stages — 0–1 3–1 3–1
2 Atlético Mineiro 6 3 0 3 5 4 +1 9 2–0 — 2–0 0–1
3 Colo-Colo 6 3 0 3 8 9 −1 9 0–3 2–0 — 2–0
4 Atlas 6 2 0 4 4 9 −5 6 0–1 1–0 1–3 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 2
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification COR SPA SLA DAN
1 Corinthians 6 4 1 1 9 3 +6 13 Advance to final stages — 2–0 0–0 4–0
2 São Paulo 6 4 0 2 9 4 +5 12 2–0 — 1–0 4–0
3 San Lorenzo 6 2 1 3 3 4 −1 7 0–1 1–0 — 0–1
4 Danubio 6 1 0 5 4 14 −10 3 1–2 1–2 1–2 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 3
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CRU UNI HUR MIN
1 Cruzeiro 6 3 2 1 8 3 +5 11 Advance to final stages — 2–0 0–0 3–0
2 Universitario 6 2 3 1 4 3 +1 9 0–0 — 0–0 2–0
3 Huracán 6 1 4 1 6 7 −1 7 3–1 1–1 — 2–2
4 Mineros 6 1 1 4 5 10 −5 4 0–2 0–1 3–0 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 4
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification INT EME STR UCH
1 Internacional 6 4 1 1 13 7 +6 13 Advance to final stages — 3–2 1–0 3–1
2 Emelec 6 3 1 2 9 5 +4 10 1–1 — 3–0 2–0
3 The Strongest 6 3 0 3 10 11 −1 9 3–1 1–0 — 5–3
4 Universidad de Chile 6 1 0 5 7 16 −9 3 0–4 0–1 3–1 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 5
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BOC WAN PAL ZAM
1 Boca Juniors 6 6 0 0 19 2 +17 18 Advance to final stages — 2–1 2–0 5–0
2 Montevideo Wanderers 6 3 1 2 9 8 +1 10 0–3 — 1–0 3–2
3 Palestino 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 0–2 1–1 — 4–0
4 Zamora 6 0 0 6 3 21 −18 0 1–5 0–3 0–1 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 6
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification TIG RIV JUA SJO
1 UANL 6 4 2 0 16 7 +9 14 Advance to final stages — 2–2 3–0 4–0
2 River Plate 6 1 4 1 8 7 +1 7 1–1 — 1–1 3–0
3 Juan Aurich 6 1 3 2 9 11 −2 6 4–5 1–1 — 2–0
4 San José 6 1 1 4 3 11 −8 4 0–1 2–0 1–1 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 7
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CAN EST LIB BAR
1 Atlético Nacional 6 3 2 1 12 7 +5 11 Advance to final stages — 1–1 4–0 2–3
2 Estudiantes 6 3 1 2 7 3 +4 10 0–1 — 1–0 3–0
3 Libertad 6 2 2 2 5 8 −3 8 2–2 1–0 — 1–1
4 Barcelona 6 1 1 4 5 11 −6 4 1–2 0–2 0–1 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Group 8
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RAC GUA CRI TAC
1 Racing 6 4 0 2 15 7 +8 12 Advance to final stages — 4–1 1–2 3–2
2 Guaraní 6 2 3 1 12 10 +2 9 2–0 — 2–2 5–2
3 Sporting Cristal 6 1 4 1 6 7 −1 7 0–2 1–1 — 1–1
4 Deportivo Táchira 6 0 3 3 6 15 −9 3 0–5 1–1 0–0 —
Source: CONMEBOL

Final stages
Main article: 2015 Copa Libertadores final stages

In the final stages, the 16 teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the following rules:[2]

  • Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg. However, CONMEBOL required that the second leg of the finals had to be played in South America, i.e., if there was a finalist from Mexico, they would have to host the first leg regardless of seeding.
  • In the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would be used. If still tied, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (no extra time would be played).
  • In the finals, if tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would not be used, and 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner.
  • If there were two semifinalists from the same association, they would have to play each other.

Seeding

The qualified teams were seeded in the final stages according to their results in the second stage, with the group winners seeded 1–8, and the group runners-up seeded 9–16.[2]

Seed Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 5 Boca Juniors 6 6 0 0 19 2 +17 18
2 6 UANL 6 4 2 0 16 7 +9 14
3 4 Internacional 6 4 1 1 13 7 +6 13
4 2 Corinthians 6 4 1 1 9 3 +6 13
5 8 Racing 6 4 0 2 15 7 +8 12
6 1 Santa Fe 6 4 0 2 10 5 +5 12
7 7 Atlético Nacional 6 3 2 1 12 7 +5 11
8 3 Cruzeiro 6 3 2 1 8 3 +5 11
9 2 São Paulo 6 4 0 2 9 4 +5 12
10 4 Emelec 6 3 1 2 9 5 +4 10
11 7 Estudiantes 6 3 1 2 7 3 +4 10
12 5 Montevideo Wanderers 6 3 1 2 9 8 +1 10
13 8 Guaraní 6 2 3 1 12 10 +2 9
14 1 Atlético Mineiro 6 3 0 3 5 4 +1 9
15 3 Universitario 6 2 3 1 4 3 +1 9
16 6 River Plate 6 1 4 1 8 7 +1 7
Source: CONMEBOL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Drawing of lots.[2]

Bracket
  Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                                                     
11 Estudiantes 2 0 2  
6 Santa Fe 1 2 3  
  6 Santa Fe 1 0 1  
  3 Internacional 0 2 2  
14 Atlético Mineiro 2 1 3
3 Internacional 2 3 5  
  3 Internacional 2 1 3  
  2 UANL 1 3 4  
10 Emelec 2 0 2  
7 Atlético Nacional 0 1 1  
  10 Emelec 1 0 1
  2 UANL 0 2 2  
15 Universitario 1 1 2
2 UANL 2 1 3  
  2 UANL 0 0 0
  16 River Plate 0 3 3
16 River Plate 1 0 1  
1 Boca Juniors (DQ) 0 0 0  
  16 River Plate 0 3 3
  8 Cruzeiro 1 0 1  
9 São Paulo 1 0 1 (3)
8 Cruzeiro (p) 0 1 1 (4)  
  16 River Plate 2 1 3
  13 Guaraní 0 1 1  
13 Guaraní 2 1 3  
4 Corinthians 0 0 0  
  13 Guaraní 1 0 1
  5 Racing 0 0 0  
12 Montevideo Wanderers 1 1 2
5 Racing 1 2 3  

Round of 16
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
River Plate 1–0[A] Boca Juniors 1–0 0–0 (susp.)
Universitario 2–3 UANL 1–2 1–1
Atlético Mineiro 3–5 Internacional 2–2 1–3
Guaraní 3–0 Corinthians 2–0 1–0
Montevideo Wanderers 2–3 Racing 1–1 1–2
Estudiantes 2–3 Santa Fe 2–1 0–2
Emelec 2–1 Atlético Nacional 2–0 0–1
São Paulo 1–1 (3–4 p) Cruzeiro 1–0 0–1
Notes
  1. ^
    The second leg of Boca Juniors against River Plate was suspended after River Plate players were attacked with pepper spray by Boca Juniors fans when the squad returned to the field following halftime, with the match still 0–0 (River Plate leading 1–0 on aggregate).[19] CONMEBOL opened disciplinary proceedings against Boca Juniors, and decided to disqualify them from the tournament on May 16, 2015.[20][21]

Quarterfinals
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
River Plate 3–1 Cruzeiro 0–1 3–0
Emelec 1–2 UANL 1–0 0–2
Santa Fe 1–2 Internacional 1–0 0–2
Guaraní 1–0 Racing 1–0 0–0

Semifinals
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
River Plate 3–1 Guaraní 2–0 1–1
Internacional 3–4 UANL 2–1 1–3

Finals
Main article: 2015 Copa Libertadores Finals

The finals were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would not be used, and 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner.[2]

Since UANL are not a South American club, by rule they had to host the first leg regardless of seeding. [2]

UANL 0–0 River Plate
Report
Attendance: 40,000
River Plate 3–0 UANL
Alario  44'
Sánchez  74' (pen.)
Funes Mori  78'		 Report
Attendance: 69,000

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Team Goals
1 Gustavo Bou Racing 8
2 Guido Carrillo Estudiantes 7
3 Miler Bolaños Emelec 6
Federico Santander Guaraní 6
5 Esteban Paredes Colo-Colo 5
Valdívia Internacional 5
7 Ramón Ábila Huracán 4
Andrés D'Alessandro Internacional 4
Elias Corinthians 4
Pablo Daniel Escobar The Strongest 4
Enrique Esqueda UANL 4
Fernando Fernández Guaraní 4
Paolo Guerrero Corinthians 4
Joffre Guerrón UANL 4
Leandro Damião Cruzeiro 4
Diego Milito Racing 4
Rodrigo Mora River Plate 4
Wilson Morelo Santa Fe 4
Carlos Sánchez River Plate 4
Rafael Sóbis UANL 4
Luis Carlos Ruiz Atlético Nacional 4
Zamir Valoyes Mineros 4

Source: CONMEBOL.com[22]

See also

References
  1. "Bridgestone es el nuevo patrocinador de la Libertadores" (in Spanish). Pasión Fútbol. December 3, 2012.
  2. "Copa Bridgestone Libertadores 2015 – Reglamento" (PDF) (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com.
  3. "River toca el cielo al ganar la Libertadores 2015 tras ardua campaña" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. August 5, 2015.
  4. "Reglamento del Campeonato de Primera División 2013/2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). AFA.
  5. "Reglamento del Campeonato de Primera División 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). AFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-15.
  6. "En el Clausura se repartirán siete premios internacionales" (in Spanish). JornadaNet.com. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  7. "Campeonato Brasileiro da Série A de 2014 REC - REGULAMENTO ESPECÍFICO DA COMPETIÇÃO" (PDF). CBF.
  8. "Bases Campeonato Nacional Primera División 2013-2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). ANFP.
  9. "Bases Campeonato Nacional Primera División 2014-2015" (PDF) (in Spanish). ANFP.
  10. "Reglamento Liga Postobon 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). dimayor.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-13.
  11. "Reglamento del Comité Ejecutivo de fútbol Profesional" (PDF) (in Spanish). FEF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  12. "Nace la SUPERCOPA MX" (in Spanish). ligamx.net. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  13. "Reglamento del Campeonato Oficial Año 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). APF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  14. "Bases del Torneo Descentralizado 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). ADFP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-06.
  15. "Reglamento de Primera División" (in Spanish). AUF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  16. "Comisión de Torneos Nacionales Normas Reguladoras de Categoría Nacional Temporada 2013–2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). FVF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-28.
  17. "El 2 de diciembre será el sorteo de la Copa Bridgestone Libertadores 2015" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. August 16, 2014.
  18. "Copa Bridgestone Libertadores: la edición 56° se iniciará el 4 de febrero del 2015" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. October 10, 2014.
  19. "Boca Juniors versus River Plate suspended after apparent tear gas attack". Goal.com. May 14, 2015.
  20. "Apertura de expediente disciplinario al Club Atlético Boca Juniors" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. May 15, 2015.
  21. "Comunicado de la Unidad Disciplinaria" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com. May 16, 2015.
  22. "Copa Libertadores 2015 — Goleadores" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL.com.
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