1977 Copa Libertadores finals

1977 Copa Libertadores finals

Boca Juniors (in white shirt), champions
Event	1977 Copa Libertadores
Boca Juniors Cruzeiro
Tied 2–2 on points; after a playoff match, Boca Juniors won 5–4 on penalties
First leg
Boca Juniors Cruzeiro 1 0
Date	6 September 1977
Venue	Estadio Alberto J. Armando, Buenos Aires
Referee	Roque Cerullo (Uruguay)
Attendance	60,000
Second leg
Cruzeiro Boca Juniors 1 0
Date	11 September 1977
Venue	Mineirão, Belo Horizonte
Referee	César Orozco (Peru)
Attendance	80,000
Play-off
Cruzeiro Boca Juniors 0 0
After extra time
Date	14 September 1977 (1977-09-14)
Venue	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Referee	Vicente Llobregat, (Venezuela)
Attendance	60,000
← 1976 1978 →

The 1977 Copa Libertadores finals was the final two-legged tie to determine the 1977 Copa Libertadores champion. It was contested by Argentine club Boca Juniors and Brazilian club Cruzeiro. The first leg of the tie was played on 6 September at Boca Juniors' home field, La Bombonera, while the second leg was played on 11 September at Cruzeiro's venue, Estadio Mineirão. It was Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro 2nd Copa Libertadores finals.

In the two-leg finals, both finalists won one game each. In the tie-breaking playoff, Boca Juniors won the series through a 5–4 penalty shootout at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario, ^{[1] [2]} therefore winning their first Copa Libertadores after the final lost in 1963 v. Santos. ^[3]

Qualified teams

Team	Previous finals app.
Boca Juniors	1963
Cruzeiro	1976

Bold indicates winning years

Rules

The finals were played over two legs; home and away. The team that accumulated the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs would be crowned the champion. If the two teams tied on points after the second leg, a playoff in a neutral venue would become the next tie-breaker.

Stadiums

Fltr: La Bombonera, Mineirao and Estadio Centenario, venues for the series

Road to the final

Further information: 1977 Copa Libertadores

• Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).

Boca Juniors				Round	Cruzeiro
Opponent	Result			Group stage	Opponent	Result
River Plate	1–0 (H)			Matchday 1	–	–
Defensor Sporting	0–0 (A)			Matchday 2	–	–
Peñarol	1–0 (A)			Matchday 3	–	–
Defensor Sporting	2–0 (H)			Matchday 4	–	–
Peñarol	1–0 (H)			Matchday 5	–	–
River Plate	0–0 (A)			Matchday 6	–	–
Group 1 winners Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Boca Juniors 6 4 2 0 5 0 +5 10 River Plate 6 1 4 1 5 5 0 6 Defensor Sporting 6 1 3 2 5 7 -2 5 Peñarol 6 1 1 4 7 10 -3 3				Final standings	As current champions, Cruzeiro started to compete directly in semifinals
Opponent	Result			Semifinals	Opponent	Result
Libertad	1–0 (H)			Matchday 1	Internacional	1–0 (A)
Libertad	0–1 (A)			Matchday 1	Portuguesa	4–0 (A)
Deportivo Cali	1–1 (H)			Matchday 3	Internacional	0–0 (H)
Deportivo Cali	1–1 (A)			Matchday 4	Portuguesa	2–1 (H)
Group A Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Boca Juniors 4 2 2 0 4 2 +2 6 Deportivo Cali 4 0 3 1 3 4 -1 3 Libertad 4 1 1 2 2 3 -1 3				final standings	Group B Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Cruzeiro 4 3 1 0 7 1 +6 7 Internacional 4 1 1 2 2 5 -3 3 Portuguesa 4 1 0 3 5 8 -3 2

Match details

First leg

1977 Copa Libertadores finals

6 September 1977

First leg

Boca Juniors	1–0	Cruzeiro
Veglio 4'	Report

La Bombonera, Buenos Aires

Attendance: 60,000

Referee: Roque Cerullo (Uruguay)

Boca Juniors

Cruzeiro

GK 1 Hugo Gatti DF 4 Vicente Pernía DF 2 Francisco Sá  59' DF 6 Roberto Mouzo DF 3 Alberto Tarantini MF 9 Carlos Veglio MF 5 Rubén Suñé (c) MF 18 Mario Zanabria FW 7 Ernesto Mastrángelo FW 20 Daniel S. Pavón  63' FW 11 Darío Felman Substitutes: DF 14 José Luis Tesare  59' MF 17 Héctor Bernabitti  63' Manager: Juan Carlos Lorenzo

GK Raul DF Nelinho DF Darci (c) DF Morais DF Vanderlei MF Zé Carlos MF Eduardo MF Eli Carlos FW Eli Mendes FW Neca FW Joãozinho Manager: Yustrich

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Second leg

11 September 1977

Second leg

Cruzeiro	1–0	Boca Juniors
Nelinho 76'	Report

Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

Attendance: 80,000

Referee: Orozco, (Peru)

Cruzeiro

Boca Juniors

GK Raul DF Nelinho DF Morais DF Darci (c) DF Vanderlei MF Eli Carlos  64' MF Eduardo MF Zé Carlos FW Eli Mendes FW Neca FW Joãozinho Substitutes: MF Livio  64' Manager: Yustrich

GK 1 Hugo Gatti DF 4 Vicente Pernía DF 14 José Luis Tesare DF 6 Roberto Mouzo DF 3 Alberto Tarantini MF 10 Jorge Ribolzi MF 5 Rubén Suñé (c) MF 18 Mario Zanabria FW 7 Ernesto Mastrángelo FW 9 Carlos Veglio  80' FW 11 Darío Felman  72' Substitutes: FW 20 Daniel S. Pavón  80' FW 25 Carlos Ortíz  72' Manager: Juan Carlos Lorenzo

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Playoff

14 September 1977

Playoff

Boca Juniors	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Cruzeiro
	Report
Penalties
Mouzo Tesare Zanabria Pernía Felman	5–4	Darci Neca Morais Livio Vanderlei

Estadio Centenario , Montevideo

Attendance: 60,000

Referee: Vicente Llobregat, (Venezuela)

Boca Juniors

Cruzeiro

GK 1 Hugo Gatti DF 4 Vicente Pernía DF 14 José Luis Tesare DF 6 Roberto Mouzo DF 3 Alberto Tarantini MF 8 Jorge Benítez  72' MF 5 Rubén Suñé (c) MF 18 Mario Zanabria FW 7 Ernesto Mastrángelo FW 9 Carlos Veglio FW 11 Darío Felman Substitutes: DF 10 Jorge Ribolzi  72' 90' MF 20 Daniel S. Pavón  90' Manager: Juan Carlos Lorenzo

GK Raul DF Nelinho  60' DF Darci (c) DF Morais DF Vanderlei MF Zé Carlos MF Eduardo MF Eli Carlos  46' FW Eli Mendes FW Neca FW Joãozinho Substitutes: MF Livio  46' DF Mariano  60' Manager: Yustrich

Notes

Hugo Gatti stops the last penalty kick, allowing Boca Juniors to win Copa Libertadores

Once the playoff extra time finished, Venezuelan referee Vicente Llobregat did not allow Boca Juniors coaching staff to enter the pitch to talk with the men chosen to kick the penalties. Therefore manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo took pen and paper to write the names of players designed to kick, they were Pernía, Tesare, Zanabria, Felman and Mouzo. On the bottom, he wrote the word "abajo" (down) to indicate them where to shoot.

Because of coaching staffs were not allowed to enter the field, one of the ball boys gave the paper to captain Rubén Suñé, then the players ordering themselves to kick the penalties. ^[1]

Look, I'm gonna be sincere to you because I'm not in the mood for jokes. The ball impacted on me. I moved and the ball impacted on me. Vanderley shot directly to my left side and we won the cup. It was the destiny. ^[1]

—  Hugo Gatti, who stopped the last penalty that allowed Boca Juniors to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history

References

1. Boca, la primera vez on El Gráfico
2. 1977 Copa Libertadores by John Beuker and Pablo Ciullini on RSSSF
3. A 40 años de la primera Libertadores de Boca, Diario Popular, 14 September 2017