Copa Libertadores 2009

¹²³ · Mar 11, 2009

Results (Tue, March 10)

América de Cali 1 - 1 Independiente Medellín
Deportivo Quito 1 - 0 Estudiantes La Plata
Universitario 0 - 0 San Luis
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Games today:

Deportivo Táchira v Club Deportivo Cuenca
Everton CD v Lanús
Guadalajara v Caracas F.C.
Boyacá Chicó FC v Gremio
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Colonel Ronan · Mar 11, 2009

Nice goal.

¹²³ · Mar 18, 2009

Results yesterday:

0 Indep. Medellín
0 América de Cali

1 CA Lanús
2 Everton

3 Deportivo Cuenca
1 Deportivo Táchira

Games today:

Defensor Sporting
São Paulo

Cruzeiro
Universitario of Sucre

San Luis FC
Universitario

Guaraní (PAR)
Boca Juniors

San Lorenzo
Libertad

Boyacá Chicó FC
Universidad de Chile

¹²³ · Mar 18, 2009

I'm expecting a good display by São Paulo, althought it's pretty hard to win any Libertadores road game.

Colonel Ronan · Mar 19, 2009

Go Everton!

¹²³ · Apr 9, 2009

Results yesterday:

4 Estudiantes LP
0 Cruzeiro

0 Sport Recife
2 Palmeiras

3 Universidad de Chile
0 Boyacá Chicó FC

2 San Luis FC
0 San Lorenzo

Results today

3 Boca Juniors
1 Guaraní (PAR)

2 São Paulo FC
1 Defensor Sporting

1 Liga D. Universitaria Quito
1 Colo Colo

¹²³ · Apr 9, 2009

Another nice win by São Paulo, with this result we clinched a place in the next phase.

[video=youtube;y0Im0_lGsMg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Im0_lGsMg[/video]

¹²³ · Apr 15, 2009

Results yesterday:

0 Chivas Guadalajara
0 CA Lanús

1 Caracas FC
0 Everton

3 Deportivo Quito
1 Universitario de Sucre

Games today:

Indep. Medellín
São Paulo FC

Universidad de Chile
Grêmio

Palmeiras
Sport Recife

Santander Libertadores Cup - Matches / Standings

¹²³ · Apr 20, 2009

The big attraction of the Libertadores

Tim Vickery | 10:23 UK time, Monday, 20 April 2009

Same old same old in Europe, all change in South America. The Champions League has the same semi-finalists year after year, but it's a very different story in the Copa Libertadores.

The group phase is not yet complete in South America's premier club competition, but even before the action got under way there was a guarantee that there would be no repeat of last year's final.
Fluminense of Brazil, who lost the title on a penalty shoot-out, did not even qualify.

In fact, after that painful defeat, they fell into a depression and at the end of last year, only narrowly escaping relegation to Brazil's second division.

As for their conquerors, LDU, or Liga of Quito, they have very little chance of repeating last year's heroics and taking the title to Ecuador.

Indeed, the club which, last July, was ranked number one in the continent and, in December, number two in the world is now really struggling to make it into South America's last 16 and thus next month's knockout phase of the Libertadores.

After four of their six group games, they have just four points. On Tuesday, they face a crunch visit to Brazil's Palmeiras. Defeat could render their final match academic.

And the striking aspect of this rise and fall is that it is not particularly surprising.

In Europe, success is a virtuous circle. Good results lead to increased resources, allowing the squad to be strengthened which, theoretically at least, means that results remain good.

Of course, there is the danger of the club chasing the dream and over-reaching. But, as the results keep proving, sustaining success is much easier in Europe than it is in South America.

There are cases of clubs winning the Libertadores three times in a row. But that was decades ago.
In those days, fewer clubs took part, with the holders only entering in the closing stages.

And it was not only the structure of the competition that made consecutive wins much easier way back when. This was also before the opening of the global market and the mass exodus to Europe.

That European virtuous circle is much harder to apply on the other side of the Atlantic, where winning often means that the squad is weakened. Landing trophies puts players in the shop window. The players want to go. Selling them helps the club pay its bills.

South America's strongest clubs are those which, rather than kicking against this sad reality, have accepted it and work within it.

Over the last few years, Boca Juniors of Argentina and Brazil's Sao Paulo have been the most consistent clubs in the Libertadores.

Both invest heavily in youth development with the aim of selling potential stars to Europe, thus enabling them to maintain competitive squads.

Boca's former president, Mauricio Macri, the man who put the model into operation, used to say that the best products of the club's youth work had a three-year time limit in the first team - one to adapt to senior football, two to enjoy them. Then it's time to sell.

The model, then, comes with built-in instability, since the club is constantly saying farewell, or preparing to say farewell, to important players.

Rogerio Ceni, Sao Paulo's talismanic captain and goalkeeper, is an exception. The 36-year-old, who has just suffered a long-tem injury, could have moved abroad but instead has spent half his life at the club.

At Boca, playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme is another exception, opting to come back from Europe when still at his peak.

Incidentally, I doubt that the Macri administration would have brought him back on a permanent basis - Macri always argued that paying one player much more than the rest was an invitation for dressing room unrest, a view borne out by the complaints Riquelme's team-mates occasionally make about him.

Despite the exceptions - and for all the attempts to impose order on the process - even South America's biggest and best clubs now exist in a permanent state of transition, which prevents them from consolidating European-style success.

Last year, Fluminense took advantage of this, assembling an excellent short-term squad and eliminating both Sao Paulo and Boca before falling to LDU.

The reign of LDU looks set to end, too. They are a shadow of the side that won last year's Libertadores in such enterprising fashion.

In their case, it is not just the loss of key players that has affected the side. It is also the loss of the coach.
Argentine-born Edgardo Bauza stood down after hitting on a superb formula last year.

He converted striker Joffre Guerron to a right winger, where, in the extra space, he could use his acceleration and lung power. And midfielder Luis Bolanos was converted to a left winger, cutting inside and making the most of his strong running with the ball and cool finishing.

It meant that, in Quito, LDU could stretch the opposition and make the most of the altitude. Away from home, they always carried a threat on the counter.

Now, with both players gone, LDU look an ordinary side.

Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati is competent - he won the domestic championship in a previous spell with the club - but his team, with a big target man up front, look very blunt in comparison with last year's rapier thrusts.

But if they do go out early, the Libertadores goes on. Will the 50th version go to one of the favourites. Or will a surprise runner come through once again? Both are possible - and that is one of the big attractions of the competition.
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¹²³ · Apr 23, 2009

São Paulo Scrape Past America

Sao Paulo came from behind to defeat America de Cali, already eliminated from the Copa Libertadores, 2-1 at the Morumbi stadium on Wednesday night.

Both of Sao Paulo's goals were scored by Dagoberto, while Wilmer Parra Cadena found the back of the net for the visitors.

America took a surprise lead early when Diego Chara found Wilmer with a good ball, and the midfielder beat Bosco with a perfect finish.

To the frustration of the sparse home crowd, the Colombians controlled the match rather comfortably and looked to increase their lead.

Sao Paulo, who came into the match having lost their last three games, should have drawn level in the 35th minute but Washington failed to poke the ball into an empty net.

After the break Muricy Ramalho's side picked up their game, as they looked much more organised in all sectors of the field.

They pushed forward in large numbers as they searched for an equaliser, and in the 57th minute it arrived through Dagoberto, who latched onto a pass from Jean and beat Julian Mesa with a quick touch.

Ten minutes later Sao Paulo went ahead with a bit of luck, as a Mesa goal kick hit the back of Dagoberto and rolled into the back of the net.

With the result, Sao Paulo were guaranteed of first place of Group 4, ahead of Uruguayan outfit Defensor Sporting, who also advanced on Wednesday.

In Group 5, Cruzeiro defeated Deportivo Quito 2-0 and Universitario de Sucre held Estudiantes de La Plata to a scoreless draw.
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¹²³ · May 4, 2009

Swine flu plays havoc with Copa Libertadores

Midnight Green · May 28, 2009

This years Copa do Brasil has been unbelievable I can just imagine it now if Vasco wins and qualifies for next years Libertadores while playing in Series B of the Brasilerão.

¹²³ · Jul 13, 2009

Cruzeiro draw with Estudiantes in Copa first leg

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Estudiantes, Cruzeiro draw in first leg of Copa Libertadores final

Match was played in Argentina; second leg will be held in Brazil

Brazilian team have dominated recently in South American club football's top prize

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Colonel Ronan · Jul 13, 2009

Interesting so far.

¹²³ · Jul 15, 2009

I am watching the game. No goals so far. Very close match.

¹²³ · Jul 16, 2009

Cruzeiro 1 - 2 Estudiantes La Plata

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 15 (Reuters) - Juan Sebastian Veron led Estudiantes to their fourth Libertadores Cup and first since 1970 when they upset Brazil's Cruzeiro 2-1 in the second leg of the final at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.

The Argentine club, who had lifted the trophy three times in a row from 1968, triumphed 2-1 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw at home in La Plata last week.

It was a special achievement for Veron, emulating his father Juan Ramon, the outstanding player of the Estudiantes side that won the club's three previous titles.

"Let them enjoy this -- it's for the fans. It's unique," former Lazio and Manchester United midfielder Veron told Fox Sports.

"We have to raise a monument to all the players," said coach Alex Sabella. "Veron is the greatest ever Estudiantes player."

Cruzeiro took the lead seven minutes into the second half when Henrique unleashed a drive from 25 metres that took a deflection off defender Leandro Desabato and went in at the near post, out of reach of the diving Mariano Andujar.

But Estudiantes replied within five minutes. Right-back Cristian Cellay whipped in a cross, keeper Fabio failed to cut the ball out and Gaston Fernandez tapped in from two metres.

Mauro Boselli headed the winner in the 73rd minute from Veron's corner, boosting his tally as the tournament's top scorer to eight goals.
"This is what one dreams of," said Boselli. "It was our objective and we achieved it."

Cruzeiro coach Adilson Baptista told a news conference: "We played better in the second half, went 1-0 up and could have got a second. Then we concended goals through a loss of concentration in defence and a dead ball play.

"We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves," added Adilson, whose side became the second Brazilian team in a row to lose the final in the second leg at home.

Last year Fluminense lost on penalties to LDU Quito of Ecuador.

Cruzeiro substitute Thiago twice came close to pulling the Brazilians level in the final three minutes, first with a long-range effort that hit the angle of post and bar and then when he blasted over from close range.

Estudiantes had marginally the better of a tight first half in which neither goalkeeper had a save to make, although both sides had chances.
The first fell to Estudiantes when Fernandez crossed from the left to Boselli who mis-kicked in front of an open goal after 23 minutes.

Two minutes later Cruzeiro's Wellington was sent through on goal by Wagner but Andujar came out smartly to smother the ball.

Close to the half hour, Desabato cleared a dangerous low cross into the box from Cruzeiro dangerman Kleber with Wellington again slow to pounce.
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