The 2009 Copa Libertadores Finals was the final

two-legged tie In sports (particularly association football), a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or "legs", with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum o ...

to determine the

2009 Copa Libertadores The 2009 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2009 Copa Santander Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 50th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, CONMEBOL's premier annual international club tournament. The ...

champion. It was contested by

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

club

Estudiantes de La Plata Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian club Cruzeiro. The first leg of the tie was played on 8 July at Estudiantes' home field, with the second leg played on 15 July at Cruzeiro's. Cruzeiro and Estudiantes played in their 4th and 5th Copa Libertadores finals, respectively. Cruzeiro last appearance was in

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, in which they beat

Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A. is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, football team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica ...

for their second title. Estudiantes returned after a 39-year absence. Their last finals appearance was in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, in which they lost to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an club

Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...

. Estudiantes de La Plata won the tie 4 points to 1 to earn their fourth Copa Libertadores title.

Qualified teams

Rules

The final will be played over two legs, each at a finalists home venue. The higher seeded team will play the second leg at home. The team that accumulates the most points —three for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs will be crowned the champion. Unlike the previous rounds, the away-goals rule will not be used. Should the two teams be tied on points after the second leg, the team with the best goal difference will win. If the two teams have equal goal difference, extra time will be used. The extra time will consist of two 15-minute halves. If the tie is still not broken, a penalty shoot-out, consisting of a maximum of five penalties per team, will ensue according to the Laws of the Game (although it is possible to win the penalty shootout before the fifth penalty kick is taken). If there is no clear winner after the 10 penalty kicks, then a sudden-death penalty shootout will ensue.

Route to the Finals

Cruzeiro qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores as the 3rd place team in the 2008 Série A. This gave them the Brazil 3 spot and a direct qualification into the Second Stage. Estudiantes qualified into the Argentina 5 spot by having the 2nd best

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

of the 2007 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, & 2008 Apertura tournaments. The spot qualified them into the First Stage.

Estudiantes in the First Stage

Estudiantes started this year's Copa Libertadores run in the First Stage in a two-legged tie against

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian club

for a spot in Group 5. Sporting Cristial took the first leg, played in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, 2−1.

Enzo Pérez Enzo Nicolás Pérez (; born 22 February 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for River Plate and the Argentina national team. He played four years for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, where he won five trop ...

scored the lone goal for Estudiantes. In the second leg, Estudiantes' Ramón Lentini scored the lone goal of the match, assuring that Estudiantes advanced to the

Second Stage A multistage rocket or step rocket is a launch vehicle that uses two or more rocket ''stages'', each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A ''tandem'' or ''serial'' stage is mounted on top of another stage; a ''parallel'' stage i ...

on the away goals tie-breaker.

Group 5 of the Second Stage

Cruzeiro was drawn into Group 5, with Estudiantes advancing into it. They were joined by the defending

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

ian champion,

Deportivo Quito Sociedad Deportivo Quito is an Ecuadorian non-professional club football club based in Quito. For most of its existence, it competed in Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. And currently competes in the Seg ...

, and the

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n 2008 Apertura champion,

Universitario de Sucre Club Deportivo Universitario San Francisco Xavier is a professional football team based in Sucre, Bolivia that competes in the Bolivian Primera División. The club has two titles in its history and also has three international appearances in co ...

. Their first group match was against each other in

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

. Cruzeiro won 3−0 with goals by Fernandinho and Kléber (two). The next group match between the both of them was their respective fifth group-play match. Playing in

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

, Estudiantes won 4−0 with goals by Juan Sebastián Verón,

Gastón Fernández Gastón Nicolás Fernández (born 12 October 1983) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent most of his senior club career in Argentine Primera División side Estudiantes. Club career Nicknamed ''La ...

, and Cristian Sánchez Prette (two). Cruzeiro second group match was

on the road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

against Deportivo Quito. Ramires scored for Cruzeiro before Giovanny Caicedo tied it for Deportivo Quito. They stayed on the road (to

Sucre Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...

) to play Universitario.

Thiago Ribeiro Thiago Ribeiro Cardoso (born 24 February 1986), known as Thiago Ribeiro, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Londrina. Club career Early career Born in Pontes Gestal, São Paulo state, Thiago Ribeiro started his career at R ...

scored the lone goal of the match to get the win. The next two game Cruzeiro played were at home. Universitario visited first and lost the match thanks to two goals by

Wellington Paulista Wellington Pereira do Nascimento (born 22 April 1984), known as Wellington Paulista, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward. Career Born in São Paulo, he started as a youth team player with Juventus-SP. He gained experience ...

. In Cruzeiro's last match of group play, they played host to Deportivo Quito, whom they beat 2−0 with goals by Léo Fortunato and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

. Estudiantes continued group play by hosting Universitario.

Juan Manuel Salgueiro Juan Manuel Salgueiro Silva (born April 3, 1983) is a Uruguayan football striker who plays for Club Sportivo San Lorenzo. Career Salgueiro started his professional career with Danubio in Montevideo. He was part of the squad that won the Uruguaya ...

scored the only goal for Estudiantes, and subsequently the win. They then went to

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...

to play Deportivo Quito. Estudiantes lost the match 1−0. Deportivo Quito then visited Estudiantes for their next match. Estudiantes soundly won the match 4−0 thanks to a goal by

and a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

by Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes' last match of group play ended in a scoreless tie against Universitario. Cruzeiro and Estudiantes finished 1 & 2, respectively, which advanced them to the Round of 16.

Cruzeiro in the knockout stages

Cruzeiro was seeded 5 for the last stages of the tournament. In the round of 16, they played against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an club Universidad de Chile (seeded 12). The first leg was played in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. Cruzeiro won the match 1−2 with goals by

Soares Soares is a common surname in the Portuguese language and Galician, namely in the Portuguese speaking world, as well as other places. It was originally a patronymic, meaning ''Son of Soeiro''. It is equivalent to the Spanish surname Suárez. Notabl ...

and Marquinhos Paraná. second leg, played at home, was won by a lone goal from Kléber. Cruzeiro advanced on points 6−0. Cruzeiro's quarterfinal match-up was against fellow

ian side

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

(seeded 4). The first leg, played at home, was won 2−1 with goals by Leonardo Silva and

Zé Carlos Zé Carlos is a nickname for people with the given name José Carlos; it can refer to: * Zé Carlos (footballer, born 1943), full name José Carlos Gaspar Ferreira, Brazilian football defender * Zé Carlos (footballer, 1945–2018), full name Jos ...

. The second leg, played in

, was also won 0−2 with goals by Henrique and Kléber. Cruzeiro advanced on points 6−0. Cruzeiro's semifinal match-up was against another

ian side, top-seeded Grêmio. Cruzeiro won the first leg 3−1 thanks to goals by

, Wágner, and Fabinho. The second leg, played in

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

, ended in a 2−2 tie.

scored twice for Cruzeiro in as many minutes, but Grêmio came back and tied it in the second half. Cruzeiro advanced 4−1 on points. As of the finals, Cruzeiro is the most effective team in the tournament, with an efficacy rating of 80.56% (9 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss).

Estudiantes in the knockout stages

Estudiantes was seeded 10 for the last stages of the tournament. Estudiantes' round of 16 match-up was against

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

an club Libertad. Seeded 7, Libertad was the first team to advance to the round of 16. Estudiantes won the

first match ''First Match'' is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Olivia Newman, based on her 2010 short film of the same name. The film stars Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo, Jharrel Jerome, and Jared Kemp. The film pr ...

3−0 with goals by

(with the fastest goal of the tournament) and Mauro Boselli (2). A 0−0 tie was enough in the second leg to advance Estudiantes 4−1 on points. The quarterfinals match-up was against

an club

Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievemen ...

(seeded 15). Estudiantes won both legs 1−0 with goals by

Leandro Desábato Leandro Desábato (born 24 January 1979), nicknamed ''Chavo'', is an Argentine football manager and former player. He is the manager of Almagro. Club career Desábato began his professional career in 1997 playing for Estudiantes de La Plata. ...

( first leg) and

Leandro Benítez Leandro Benítez (born 5 April 1981) is a retired Argentina, Argentine Association football, footballer who usually played as a midfielder on the left side of the pitch. Career A native of Ensenada, Buenos Aires, Ensenada, Benítez grew in the ...

( second leg). Estudiantes advanced 6−0 on points. In the semifinals, Estudiantes met another Uruguayan club, 3 seeded

. In the first leg, played at home, Estudiantes won with a lone goal by

Diego Galván Diego Alberto Galván (born 19 March 1982) is an Argentine footballer. Career Galván started his career with Lanús in the Argentine Primera in 2000, he had a short spell with Mexican side Morelia before returning to Lanús. In 2003, he had a s ...

. In the second leg, Estudiantes won 1−2 with a pair of goals by Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes advanced 6−0 on points. As of the finals, Estudiantes has an efficacy rating of 69.05% (9 wins, 2 draws, 3 loss). Striker Mauro Boselli is currently tied as the top-scorer of the tournament, with 7 goals.

Knockout stages summary

Match details

First leg

----

Second leg

References

External links

CONMEBOL's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copa Libertadores Finals 2009

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l l

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

2009 in Argentine football 2009 in Brazilian football Football in Buenos Aires Province