Like every year, the Libertadores come to an end. And with it, so does the South American football “Fiesta”! Legendary clubs like Brazilian Palmeiras, Flamengo, or Argentina’s River Plate and Racing, face off in the Champions League equivalent in South America.
This year, the Championship’s finale was held in Lima, Peru. All other matches were played at the teams’ home stadiums, in a two-leg face-off, so that each team could play in their own stadium.
Like any other competition, there was emotion, illusions, deceptions, and above all(and how we say in Argentina), Quilombo! It’s what we call chaos…multiplied by ten.
From big clubs displaying their quality sportsmanship, to old clubs trying to bring back their own past glory, and newcomers searching to make history, everyone had high hopes and dreams!
Even though these clubs have huge budgets, attendance was lower than that of the well-known European Champions. However, as always, Libertadores offered a type of football unique in the world. A type so full of passion and art – one that’s hard to find anywhere else in the world.
All these matches were decided by the slimmest margin. One small foul, one mistaken penalty, or a well-executed strategy could define the heated encounters. That, added to the highly different climate, altitudes, and the aggressive tactics, made this less of a competition and more of a survival journey for the players.
The Tournament used a perfect balance between predictability and surprises. As always, most of the favourite/big teams were able to reach the higher end of the tournament, like ….. However, some teams, like Racing, were able to shock the continent. Last year’s Copa Sudamericana winner (a smaller version of the Libertadores) was able to finish 4th, higher than teams like River Plate, Boca, or even beating Velez Sarsfield, teams that denied them their ticket to participate in the 2024 Libertadores.
Libertadores has always helped teams that played with passion, aggressiveness, and blended art, normally punishing those that opted for a safer, controlled game. All matches are less strategic and more exciting. And this one wasn’t an exception.
In Lima, two Brazilian giants faced off to decide who came on top: Flamengo and Palmeiras. Every minute of the game was tense, with a total of 7 yellow cards. And it is no lie that the two Brazilian Giants have experienced a recent rivalry, both in the Libertadores, the Brazilian league, and other regional tournaments.
Although Flamengo received 3 yellow cards against Palmeira’s 1 in the 1st half, Flamengo lost no time and forced a corner, which they later converted into the sole goal of the match. The goal was scored by Brazilian 34-year-old defender Danilo Luiz Da Silva with a marvelous header, which sent the whole stadium into a frenzy. This sent Flamengo into celebrations after conquering their 4th Libertadores title since their debut in 1981.
All in all, this Tournament was all someone could expect from South America: crazy, artistic, and passionate. With a total of 367 goals, 719 yellow cards, and 36 red cards, it concluded as one of the most important football tournaments in the world. Showing, again, that more goals or tactics don’t equal more entertainment, but more passion and raw talent usually do.
