Botafogo wins the Copa Libertadores for the first time

Botafogo defeated Atlético Mineiro 3-1 this Saturday and was crowned champion of the Copa Libertadores de América for the first time in a final played at the Antonio Vespucio Liberti Monumental Stadium, in the city of Buenos Aires. Despite playing from 35 seconds with one less player due to Gregore’s expulsion, the black and white team won with goals from Luiz Henrique (m.35), Alex Telles (m.44, from a penalty) and Júnior Santos (m. 96).

Atlético Mineiro scored in the 46th minute through Chilean striker Eduardo Vargas, who had entered the interval.

With this victory, the team led by Portuguese coach Artur Jorge achieved the last passport to the 2025 Club World Cup.

This is the third team from Rio de Janeiro in the new World Cup, which will be played in the United States, since Flamengo and Fluminense also qualified, which will represent South America along with Palmeiras and the Argentine Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Furthermore, after this historic consecration, the second international in 120 years of history after the 1993 Conmebol Cup, Botafogo will be the continental representative in this year’s Intercontinental Cup, where they will face the Mexican Pachuca on December 11 in Doha.

The match began with pure emotion and after 35 seconds the Argentine referee Facundo Tello sent off Gregore for a kick in the face by Fausto Vera, leaving Botafogo with ten men almost from the locker room. From that moment on, Atlético Mineiro took possession of the ball and with territorial dominance had three options to open the scoring. First a shot from Hulk that John deflected into the side in the 7th minute, three minutes later another shot from the emblematic striker that the goalkeeper contained without rebounding, and at 10 a cross shot also from Hulk that went into the upper left corner of the goal. goal.

Atlético Mineiro had another option to open the scoring in the 23rd minute with an action that took the ball from right to left so that a cross from Scarpa led to Deyverson and a cross shot that went wide.

In the 35th minute he reached the goal after a great play in combination between Thiago Almada and Luiz Henrique on the left, which ended with a cross behind and a faulty shot that again fell to Luiz Henrique, who defined with a low shot in front of the arc to leave Everson without reaction. The Belo Horizonte team did not fully assimilate the blow of being at a disadvantage on the scoreboard that at 39 minutes a ball behind led to a pairing between Luiz Henrique and Guillerme Arana, who covered the ball for the exit of goalkeeper Everson but when he came out a sweep knocks down the Botafogo striker.

Referee Facundo Tello, after reviewing the action on the VAR, awarded a penalty and when the clock showed 42 minutes Alex Telles doubled the advantage with a powerful shot to the left of Everson.

At the beginning of the second half, coach Gabriel Milito kicked the board with three modifications: the entry of Mariano, Bernard and Eduardo Vargas.

And the effect had a quick effect because after a magical corner kick from Hulk in the 46th minute, a precise header from Chilean Eduardo Vargas went into John’s top right corner.

And in the 52nd minute Atlético Mineiro had the option of reaching the tie with another cross from Hulk that Deyverson headed in an unorthodox and defective way. And in the 63rd minute another play in combination from left to right ended in Hulk who after a dribble took a furious shot that again required John to take the ball to the corner kick.

From that moment, Atlético Mineiro repeated itself with centers, both with stopped balls and in movement from Hulk, but they always found the defense of the Rio team well stopped, who resisted heroically with one less player.

And in the 87th minute, a center shot from Mariano put Eduardo Vargas in front of the goal but his shot went over the crossbar with a John who was already defeated.

And two minutes later, a backward lack of intelligence by Alexander Barboza and Adyelson led to a solo run by the Chilean Vargas who rushed and his shot went very wide. In the penultimate play, a deep ball for the entered Alan Kardec ended with a shot that went just wide.

And in the last action of the game, Junior Alonso lost the ball on the corner kick and Júnior Santos faced the area and his cross led to a close by Alan Franco that left it to Júnior Santos himself to push and seal the victory for Botafogo.

The almost 40 thousand Botafogo supporters exploded with this third goal and the consecration of ‘Fogao’ for the first time in its history in the Copa Libertadores, with the consequent passport to the Intercontinental Cup this year and the Club World Cup next year.