2008 Copa Libertadores Final
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The 2008 Copa Libertadores finals was a
two-legged In sports (especially association football), a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or "legs", with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of ...
football match-up to determine the
2008 Copa Libertadores The 2008 Copa Libertadores de América was the 49th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier annual international club tournament. This marked the first year the competition was sponsored by Spanish bank Grupo Santander, Santander. As ...
champion. The series was contested between
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito Liga Deportiva Universitaria () is an Ecuadorian professional football club based in Quito. They play in the Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. They play their home games at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgad ...
from
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, and
Fluminense Football Club Fluminense Football Club () is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, being the oldest Association football, football club in the state since its foundation in 1902. It competes in the Campeonato B ...
from
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, both of whom were playing in their first finals. The first leg was played at LDU Quito's home field, '' La Casa Blanca'' in
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
on 25 June 2008; the second leg was played at Fluminense's home field, '' Maracanã'' in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 2 July 2008. LDU Quito won the final on penalties 3–1, after each team won a game apiece, and equalized on goal difference after the end of extra-time of the second leg. With this achievement, LDU Quito became the first Ecuadorian club to win a Copa Libertadores title.Los héroes que dieron a Liga de Quito el título de la Copa Libertadores
on ''El Comercio'', 2 Jul 2016


Qualified teams


Finals rules

Like other match-ups in the knockout round, the teams will play two games, one at each team's home stadium. As the highest seeded team determined at the beginning of the knockout stage, Fluminense had home-field advantage for the second leg. Unlike other Copa Libertadores match-ups in the knockout round, the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
is not used. If the teams remained tied after 90 minutes of play during the 2nd leg, extra time will be used, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.


Route to the finals


Group 8 of the Second Stage

Fluminense and LDU Quito both started in the Second Stage and were drawn into Group 8 along with
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
of
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Libertad Libertad (Spanish, 'freedom') or La Libertad may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Libertad, in the comic strip ''Mafalda'' *Libertad, in the video game ''Far Cry 6'' Film and television * ''La Libertad'' (film), or ...
of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
. Their first match was against each other in ''La Casa Blanca'' in
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
. The game ended in a goal-less draw. LDU Quito then hosted Libertad on March 4.
Patricio Urrutia Patricio Javier Urrutia Espinoza (born 15 October 1978) is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the current manager of Delfín. Club career Early career Urrutia started playing football ...
and
Joffre Guerrón Joffre David Guerrón Méndez (; born 28 April 1985), commonly known as Joffre Guerrón, is an Ecuadorian professional footballer for Ecuadorian Serie A club Barcelona Sporting Club. A right winger, his key attributes are his explosiveness a ...
scored for LDU Quito to give them a 2–0 win. They then visited Arsenal in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
on March 12.
Patricio Urrutia Patricio Javier Urrutia Espinoza (born 15 October 1978) is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the current manager of Delfín. Club career Early career Urrutia started playing football ...
scored the loan goal of the game. The roles were reversed as LDU Quito hosted Arsenal on March 26. Liga walloped Arsenal 6–1 with goals by
Patricio Urrutia Patricio Javier Urrutia Espinoza (born 15 October 1978) is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the current manager of Delfín. Club career Early career Urrutia started playing football ...
,
Damián Manso Damián Alejandro Manso (, born 6 June 1979) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. Manso is a free kick specialist also can plays as a left midfielder, making known this facet during the period of Ed ...
,
Luis Bolaños Luis Alberto ''Chucho'' Bolaños León (born March 27, 1985) is an Ecuadorian professional football midfielder who plays for S.D. Quito. Club career Chucho as he is nicknamed has only received international recognition in recent years, durin ...
(2),
Claudio Bieler Claudio Daniel Bieler (; born March 1, 1984) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Huracán de Vera. Club career Rise in career In 2005 Bieler made his professional debut with Primera División Argentina squad Colón de San ...
, and
Alfonso Obregón Alfonso Andrés Obregón Cancino (born May 12, 1972) is a retired Ecuadorian football player. Club career Obregón spent the majority of his professional career with LDU Quito. He has made over 300 appearances in the defensive midfield position ...
;
Luciano Leguizamón Félix Luciano Leguizamón (born 1 July 1982), known as Luciano Leguizamón, is an Argentine former footballer who played as a second striker. Career Leguizamón started his career in Gimnasia y Esgrima de Concepción del Uruguay. He then mo ...
scored for Arsenal. On April 8, Liga travelled to Asuncion to play Libertad, where they lost 3–1.
Alfonso Obregón Alfonso Andrés Obregón Cancino (born May 12, 1972) is a retired Ecuadorian football player. Club career Obregón spent the majority of his professional career with LDU Quito. He has made over 300 appearances in the defensive midfield position ...
scored the lone goal for Liga. After the first game against Liga, Fluminense hosted Arsenal on March 5. The drubbing ended 6–0 in favor of Flu.
Thiago Neves Thiago Neves Augusto (born 27 February 1985) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Born in Curitiba, Thiago Neves began his professional career with Paraná aged 20. His performa ...
,
Dodô Dodo or DoDo is a nickname for: __NOTOC__ Footballers * Dodô (footballer, born 1974), Brazilian retired footballer Ricardo Lucas Figueredo Monte Raso * Dodô (footballer, born June 1987), Brazilian footballer Sandro Ferreira André Nascimento * ...
(2),
Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, and Cícero provided the scores. Flu then travelled to Asuncion to face Libertad on March 19.
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
scored twice to give Flu a 2–1 win. Flu then played host for Libertad in a game that ended in a 2–0 win for Fluminense. Cícero and
Thiago Silva Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense. Regarded as one of the best defenders of all time, he is known ...
provided the scores. Fluminense then travelled to Buenos Aires to play Arsenal on April 8. They were beat 2–0. The last match of group play for LDU Quito and Fluminense was against each other on April 17. Cícero scored the only goal of the game to give Fluminense a 1–0 win. The win gave Fluminense the group. Fluminense and LDU Quito finished 1 & 2 with 13 and 10 points, respectively, and each advanced to the Round of 16 as the 1st and 11th seed.


Fluminense in the knockout stage

Fluminense was seeded 1 for the knockout stage, guaranteeing home field advantage for the second leg of any series. In the round of 16, they faced
Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other ...
of
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, whom they defeated on aggregate 3-1 (2-1 & 1-0). In the quarter-finals, they faced fellow Brazilian side
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. They won on aggregate 3-2 (0-1 & 3-1). In the semi-finals, they face defending Copa Libertadores champions
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
. After tying 2-2 on the first leg, they won 3-1 in the second leg to advance to their first Copa Libertadores finals.


LDU Quito in the knockout stage

LDU Quito was seeded 11 for the knockout stage. In the Round of 16, they faced Estudiantes, whom they beat on aggregate 3-2 (2-0 & 1-2) to advance. They faced another Argentine team,
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Villa San Lorenzo, town and municipality in Salta P ...
in the quarter-finals. After tying 1-1 in both legs, the teams went into penalties, where LDU Quito triumphed 5-3. In the semi-finals, they faced
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
of Mexico. They tied both legs 1-1 in Mexico City and 0-0 in Quito. Since LDU Quito scored an away goal, they won the series and advanced to their first Copa Libertadores finals. ----


Match details


First leg

The first leg was played at Estadio Casa Blanca in
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
.
Claudio Bieler Claudio Daniel Bieler (; born March 1, 1984) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Huracán de Vera. Club career Rise in career In 2005 Bieler made his professional debut with Primera División Argentina squad Colón de San ...
of LDU scored first in the 2nd minute, but Fluminense answered back with a goal by
Darío Conca Darío Leonardo Conca (; born 11 May 1983) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Conca was elected for two consecutive years as the best player of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A in 2009 and 2010. ...
in the 12th minute. LDU scored three unanswered goals by the end of the half with goals by
Joffre Guerrón Joffre David Guerrón Méndez (; born 28 April 1985), commonly known as Joffre Guerrón, is an Ecuadorian professional footballer for Ecuadorian Serie A club Barcelona Sporting Club. A right winger, his key attributes are his explosiveness a ...
(29'), Jairo Campos (34'), and
Patricio Urrutia Patricio Javier Urrutia Espinoza (born 15 October 1978) is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the current manager of Delfín. Club career Early career Urrutia started playing football ...
(45').
Thiago Neves Thiago Neves Augusto (born 27 February 1985) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Born in Curitiba, Thiago Neves began his professional career with Paraná aged 20. His performa ...
scored again for Fluminense with the only goal of the second half at the 52nd minute. The final score left LDU Quito with a 2-goal advantage going into the next leg. ----


Second leg

The Second Leg was played in front of a capacity crowd at the legendary '' Maracanã'' in a game that would crown the South American champions.
Luis Bolaños Luis Alberto ''Chucho'' Bolaños León (born March 27, 1985) is an Ecuadorian professional football midfielder who plays for S.D. Quito. Club career Chucho as he is nicknamed has only received international recognition in recent years, durin ...
of LDU Quito scored first in the 6th minute to put LDU Quito up 1–0 in the game, and a three-goal advantage. Fluminense answered back with a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
by
Thiago Neves Thiago Neves Augusto (born 27 February 1985) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Born in Curitiba, Thiago Neves began his professional career with Paraná aged 20. His performa ...
who scored goals in the 12th, 28th, and 56th minute. The score at the end of regulation was 3–1, leaving both teams equal on goal difference; extra-time was needed. After a scoreless extra-time, the game went on to a penalty shootout. LDU Quito goalkeeper
José Francisco Cevallos José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
blocked three of four penalty kicks, while his teammates put in three of four to give LDU Quito their first Copa Libertadores title.


Aftermath

Prior to the matches, Fluminense was favored to win since they had eliminated the defending champion (Boca Juniors) in the semifinals, and defeated LDU Quito in an earlier encounter at Maracanã. Following the surprise loss in Quito, pressure was on Fluminense to win at home. When LDU Quito sealed the deal at Maracanã, the media dubbed the match a "
Maracanazo The match between Uruguay and Brazil was the decisive match of the final stage at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was played at the Maracanã Stadium in the then-capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, on 16 July 1950. Unlike in other editions of the to ...
", a slang term in Latin American football given to a game at Maracanã where the underdog team upsets the hosts. As the hosts were expected to win, that the celebratory confetti for the award presentation was in Fluminense's color. LDU Quito had won their first Copa Libertadores title, becoming the first Ecuadorian team to do so. The title is also the first international title ever won by a team from Ecuador. LDU Quito captain Patricio Urrutia was named player of the finals, and Joffre Guerrón was named player of the tournament. By winning the tournament, LDU Quito won the right to represent South American in the
2008 FIFA Club World Cup The 2008 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth FIFA Club World Cup, a football tournament for the champion clubs from each of FIFA's six continental c ...
, for which they qualify directly to the semi-finals. LDU Quito winning the Copa Libertadores was called historic by major newspapers that followed the competition, and won praise throughout the continent. Throughout the tournament, the team and its player gained wide support from across Ecuador, not just by their typical fan-base in Quito. Following the win, they were publicly applauded by every sector of Ecuadorian society and government, and were treated as heroes upon their return to the country. Currently, this year's finals hold or shares two Copa Libertadores finals records: most goals in a single game (6) for Game 1; most goals in two legs (10).


References

{{Fluminense FC matches
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
Copa Libertadores finals Copa Libertadores final 2008 Copa Libertadores final 2008