BEVERLY HILLS, January 32, (THEWILL) – In the COVID-19 delayed 2020 Copa Libertadores final played on Saturday, SE Palmeiras beat Santos FC 1-0 thanks to Breno Lopes’s superb, stoppage-time header at the iconic Estadio Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. The victory made sure Abel Ferreira’s side booked the last remaining slot on offer to the FIFA Club World Cup to be hosted by Qatar.
Saturday’s final was the 61st edition of the fabled club continental championship of the South Americas but, it was the first Paulista derby played in the competition’s history and as has always been the case, it was a tense encounter registering a high frequency of fouls committed by the finalists.
The Sao Paulo rivals both dispatched Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate in the semifinals to set up an epic showdown at the Maracana. It had everything expected from the Copa Libertadores even a red card for an oddly dressed coach who refused to leave and a dramatic winner from an unlikely source.
The high intensity contest was played in the scorching humid conditions in the Brazilian summer afternoon. From the kickoff, both teams struggled to create many meaningful goalscoring chances and were careful not to leave their backlines too exposed.
Santos will rue the chances they managed to get but failed to convert as a handful of shots on target came their way in the second half. In all, they found nothing serious to trouble the Palmerais keeper Weverton Pereira da Silva who was outstanding throughout the group stages and knockout phase for the winners.
Five minutes into stoppage time, Santos coach, Alexi Stival, better known as “Cuca”, tried to be too clever with some delay tactics as he picked up the ball to prevent Palmeiras’ Marcos Rocha from throwing it back in play. The two collided and the end result was a red card for Cuca, plus yellows for Rocha and Santos’ Yeferson Soteldo.
Moments after Cuca was sent to the stands, Palmeiras rubbed salt in the wound. Rony Barbosa delivered an early, pinpoint accurate cross to the back post for Breno, who directed a powerful and well-placed header past a helpless John Victor in the Santos’s net to give the Verdao their first Copa Libertadores trophy since 1999 and their second of in history.
It was truly historic even for the goal scorer. Breno had never scored in the Copa Libertadores before and had only just come on as an 85th minute substitute before he put his name in the books and the scoresheet by rising high to hit the looping header and a 99th-minute winner for Palmeiras.
By winning the Copa Libertadores, Palmeiras have set up an intriguing fixture for themselves in the Club World Cup where they will line up against the winner between Tigres UANL of Mexico and South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai FC, which will be played on Thursday, February 4 at the Education City Stadium. It promises to be a key February 7 semifinal tie of the competition.
The Club World Cup will be played from Thursday, February 4 to Thursday, February 11, where a brand new world champion will be crowned to succeed the 2019 triumph of English champions Liverpool.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
