January 29 – On Saturday, Sao Paulo giants Palmeiras and Santos will seek to succeed Flamengo as winners of the Copa Libertadores in a final that will be played behind closed doors at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.
The 61st final of South America’s most prestigious club competition will be an all-Brazilian affair. In the last four, the Brazilian pair eliminated Buenos Aires behemoths Boca Juniors and River Plate respectively. Palmeiras edged past River Plate, 3-2 on aggregate after nearly conceding a 3-0 first-leg advantage in a dramatic return match. Santos encountered no such difficulties and dispatched Boca Juniors with verve.
After dominating the first leg at the Bombonera stadium, Pele’s former club ran out comfortable 3-0 winner in the return leg to set up an all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final for the first time since 2006.
Palmeiras, however, will be favourites going into the final, playing a young Santos team. The seaside club has been hamstrung by financial woes, a transfer ban and internal strife this season, but turning to youth has proven to be a blessing in disguise in the continental competition. In 2011, Santos last won the Copa Libertadores and they have thrived in this edition thanks to stellar performances from 18-year-old striker Kaio Jorge and wingers Marinho and Jefferson Soteldo.
Jorge is the competition’s top scorer. He combines his marked presence in the box with astute tactical understanding, dropping deep to help out with marking and threading short passes to split defences. On the wings, Marinho and the Venezuelan Soteldo provide panache to great effect.
On Saturday, Santos can become the first Brazilian club to win the competition for a fourth time. They won South America’s premier club tournament twice in the sixties during Pelé ’s heydays. First, they defeated Benfica over two legs in 1962 and a year later they overcame AC Milan. Inevitably, they couldn’t keep up the talent production and slipped back until the generation of Diego and Robinho emerged before Neymar guided the club to continental glory a decade ago.
Santos tend to press and that will be a major disadvantage in Saturday’s final against Palmeiras, who also have a much deeper squad. The final will kick off at 5pm in the afternoon local time to accommodate TV audiences in Europe, but that means players will have to endure the blazing-hot Carioca sunshine.
It is high summer in Rio de Janeiro and the weather forecast suggests temperatures will top 35 degrees celsius. The final had originally been scheduled for November but the global pandemic forced Conmebol to push the match back.
The final will be played in front of empty stands. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a Palmeiras fan, declined Conmebol’s invitation to attend the final, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino will watch from the stands. The world federation’s supremo has been criss-crossing continents during the global health pandemic.
The winner of the Copa Libertadores will represent South America at the Club World Cup in Qatar, entering the competition at the semi-final stage on February 7. They will face the winner of the second-round encounter between CONCACAF Champions League winners Tigres UANL from Mexico and Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1731838909labto1731838909ofdlr1731838909owedi1731838909sni@o1731838909fni1731838909