Nacional won the final series 3-1 on points as Daniel Fonseca of Nacional scored the first goal of the competition as well as the only one in this final.[1][2]
The Recopa Sudamericana was played over two legs; home and away. The team that qualified via the Copa Libertadores played the first leg at home. The team that accumulated the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs was crowned the champion. In case of both teams tied on points after regulation of the second leg, the team with the best goal difference won. If the two teams have equal goal difference, a penalty shoot-out ensued according to the Laws of the Game.
Background
Nacional qualified to the Recopa Sudamericana by winning the 1988 Copa Libertadores. It was their third Copa Libertadores title and first in eight years, which they achieved by defeating Argentinean club Newell's Old Boys 3–1 on aggregate. Racing Club earned the right to dispute the trophy after winning the 1988 Supercopa Sudamericana, beating Cruzeiro 3–1 on points. The victory was the club's first international title since winning the 1967 Copa Libertadores.
Prior to the 1989 Recopa, Nacional and Racing Club had previously met four times in South American competition. The first meeting between the two sides took place in the Group 2 of the 1962 Copa Libertadores; Nacional beat Racing Club 3-2 at home, and held La Academia at a 2-2 draw in Avellaneda. Five years later, the two clubs met again in the 1967 Copa Libertadores, this time in the finals. Both legs of the series finished 0-0, requiring a tie-breaking playoff to be played. Racing Club came out on top, winning 2-1.
Venues
Estadio Centenario (left) and José Amalfitani, venues
The José Amalfitani Stadium, home of Vélez Sarsfield, was built in 1947 and later remodeled in preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. It had a capacity for 49,540 spectators although it didn't provide seating for all of them like other Argentine stadiums.
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