2019 Recopa Sudamericana

2019 Recopa Sudamericana

Promotional poster of the first leg
Event	Recopa Sudamericana
Athletico Paranaense River Plate 1 3
on aggregate
First leg
Athletico Paranaense River Plate 1 0
Date	22 May 2019 (2019-05-22)
Venue	Arena da Baixada, Curitiba
Referee	Wilmar Roldán (Colombia) [1]
Attendance	30,400 [2]
Second leg
River Plate Athletico Paranaense 3 0
Date	30 May 2019 (2019-05-30)
Venue	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
Referee	Roberto Tobar (Chile) [3]
Attendance	66,500 [2]
← 2018 2020 →

The 2019 Recopa Sudamericana was a football match played over two legs between River Plate of Argentina and Athletico Paranaense of Brazil. The first leg was played at the Arena da Baixada, Curitiba on 22 May 2019 and the second leg was played on 30 May 2019 at the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires. The annual Recopa Sudamericana, it was contested between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. It was River Plate's fifth appearance, having won the competition back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Athletico Paranaense were appearing for the first time.

The teams qualified for the tournament by winning the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Athletico Paranaense qualified by winning the 2018 Copa Sudamericana. They beat Colombian team Junior 4–3 on penalties after a 2–2 aggregate in the final. River Plate won the 2018 Copa Libertadores beating rivals Boca Juniors 5–3 in the finals.

A crowd of 30,400 observed the first leg at the Arena da Baixada, in which Athletico Paranaense took the lead in the series courtesy of the lone goal scored by striker Marco Ruben. Watched by a crowd of 66,500 at the Estadio Monumental, River Plate tied the game after Ignacio Fernández scored the rebound off of a penalty Santos had stopped him. They extended their lead in stoppage time when Lucas Pratto scored, and added one more courtesy of Matías Suárez four minutes later. River Plate secured their third Recopa Sudamericana win after completing the comeback.

Background

The Recopa Sudamericana was founded in the late 1980s, as a means to determine the best team in South America. ^[4] It was first contested between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the Supercopa Libertadores from 1989 to 1998, until CONMEBOL discontinued the latter. Following the absence of an important, secondary tournament, the Recopa Sudamericana went into a hiatus that lasted four years until the introduction of the Copa Sudamericana. ^[5]

Athletico Paranaense qualified for the Recopa Sudamericana by winning the 2018 Copa Sudamericana. They beat Colombian team Junior in the final, having won 4–3 on penalties after a tied aggregate at two goals each. ^[6] Athletico Paranaense won the Copa Sudamericana for the first time, and were set to make their debut in the Recopa Sudamericana. ^[7]

River Plate qualified for the match as winners of the 2018 Copa Libertadores. They beat their historic rivals Boca Juniors 5–3 in the finals to win their fourth Copa Libertadores title. ^[8] River Plate were appearing in the competition for the fifth time, with a record consisting of two successive wins in 2015 and 2016 and consecutive losses in 1997 and 1998. ^[7]

River Plate's last game coming into the tournament was against Atlético Tucumán, in a 4–1 win on the second leg of the Copa de la Superliga quarterfinals. This result was insufficient to make up for the three goal deficit suffered on their first game, getting knocked out of the tournament due to the away goals rule. ^[9] Athletico Paranaense's meeting with Corinthians on 19 May yielded a 2–0 loss, during the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. ^[10]

First leg

Summary

Renan Lodi's performance was crucial, as he contributed to putting his team ahead on the aggregate.

The first leg was held at the Arena da Baixada, the home ground of Athletico Paranaense. Midfielder Lucho González issued the first warning right after the first whistle, taking a shot near the entrance of the area that demanded a response from goalkeeper Franco Armani. The host team started exploiting the speed of their wingers and full-backs. ^[11] They possessed numerical superiority when attacking because of this strategy, as they occupied spaces better than their opponents. ^[12] River Plate battled back applying suffocating pressure in the opposition's half, based on an extremely fowarded positioning of their defensive line. In the 25th minute of play, Renan Lodi received a pass from Bruno Guimarães. The left-back proceeded to send a low center to Rony, who got rid of several defenders with a simple turn, and then laid the goal on a silver platter for Marco Ruben, who tapped the ball in for a 1–0 scoreline. Lodi would produce another play minutes after, sending a cross that neither Ruben nor Lucho could finish. After their game plan crumbled, River Plate tried to maintain their composure while in possession, as the first half came to a closing. ^[11]

During the second half, Athletico Paranaense continued to cause problems with quick transitions and counter-attacks. Armani prevented a two goal disadvantage with a good save from a shot by Lodi. ^[11] River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo later tried to stabilize on defense by subbing Fabrizio Angileri and Bruno Zuculini in, to no avail. ^[12] The game had become a frantic back-and-forth affair, as Nikão kept being a nuisance for the Argentine goalkeeper. The visitors had a clear chance following a cross from the left that needed only a touch to level up the scoreline. Ten minutes shy of injury time, River Plate's Milton Casco punched Rony before a free kick, and the referee Wilmar Roldán sent the full-back off with a straight red card after consulting the video assistant referee. ^[11]

Manager Gallardo was critical of his team's performance, stating: "We didn't play well overall. We couldn't find our footing on the pitch, either on the field or in terms of our football." In spite of this analysis, he was clear about their chances coming into the second leg: "We're still in the game because we only lost by a single goal, and we have everything we need to turn things around at home." ^[13]

Details

22 May 2019 (2019-05-22)

21:30  UTC−3

Athletico Paranaense	1–0	River Plate
Ruben 25'	Report

Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

Attendance: 30,400 ^[2]

Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)

Athletico Paranaense

River Plate

GK 1 Santos RB 2 Jonathan  65' CB 13 Paulo André  71' CB 4 Léo Pereira  90+4' LB 12 Renan Lodi CM 5 Wellington  76'  86' CM 16 Bruno Guimarães RW 11 Nikão AM 3 Lucho González (c)  75' LW 7 Rony CF 9 Marco Ruben Substitutes: GK 25 Caio DF 6 Márcio Azevedo DF 21 Lucas Halter DF 23 Mádson  65' MF 15 Erick MF 18 Léo Cittadini  75' MF 20 Matheus Rossetto MF 22 Thonny Anderson  86' FW 8 Bruno Nazário FW 10 Marcelo Cirino FW 17 Braian Romero FW 19 Vitinho Manager: Tiago Nunes

GK 1 Franco Armani RB 18 Camilo Mayada  61' CB 22 Javier Pinola (c) CB 21 Lucas Martínez Quarta  45+3' LB 20 Milton Casco  81' CM 11 Nicolás De La Cruz CM 24 Enzo Pérez CM 15 Exequiel Palacios  71' AM 10 Ignacio Fernández CF 7 Matías Suárez  68'  75' CF 9 Lucas Pratto Substitutes: GK 14 Germán Lux GK 25 Enrique Bologna DF 2 Robert Rojas DF 3 Nahuel Gallardo DF 4 Fabrizio Angileri  89'  61' DF 6 Luciano Lollo DF 16 Kevin Sibille MF 5 Bruno Zuculini  71' MF 8 Jorge Carrascal MF 23 Leonardo Ponzio FW 19 Rafael Santos Borré  75' Manager: Marcelo Gallardo

Assistant referees [1] Alexander Guzmán (Colombia) John Alexander León (Colombia) Fourth official [1] Carlos Herrera (Colombia) Video assistant referee [1] Daniel Fedorczuk (Uruguay) Assistant video assistant referees [1] Nicolás Gallo (Colombia) Nicolás Tarán (Uruguay)

Match rules [14] 90 minutes Twelve named substitutes, of which up to three may be used

Second leg

Summary

Matías Suárez's assist and goal gave River Plate their third Recopa Sudamericana win.

Athletico Paranaense's 1–0 victory in the first leg meant that the home side needed a goal to force the tie into extra-time. From the first minute, both teams displayed intense and frenetic energy, eager to take center stage. The visitors challenged River Plate for possession in midfield, while the home team pressed high in search for a goal to level the series. In the 13th minute, Ignacio Fernández settled himself inside the box and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that struck Santos' left post, who was left unable to react. He was eventually tested ten minutes later when he masterfully prevented Lucas Pratto from scoring the opening goal. Athletico Paranaense managed to create trouble with sporadic counterattacks, and 30 minutes into the match, Lucho González had a golden opportunity to extend their lead that was denied by Franco Armani, who miraculously deflected the ball. River Plate's initiative started to fade as the first half came to a closing. ^[15]

The second half started with Athletico Paranaense sitting back and defending with focus and composure the aggregate score. At the 60-minute mark, Chilean referee Roberto Tobar awarded a penalty to the home team after consulting the video assistant referee, crediting a handball by González inside the area after a corner kick. Ignacio Fernández was to take the penalty. His shot was partially diverted by Santos, hitting the post, which favoured the midfielder in the rebound as he slammed it home for the equaliser 65 minutes into the match. Renan Lodi tried to unlevel the scoreline with a long-range shot around the 80th minute, which was successfully defended by Armani. The game seemed to be heading for extra-time until subbed in striker Matías Suárez put up a magnificent cross over to Pratto, who controlled the ball and took a shot towards the net that broke the parity in injury time. Athletico Paranaense scrambled as they desperately tried to bring the match to an even affair, but Suárez capitalized on their confusion, scoring the final goal after dribbling Santos and sealing the 3–0 victory moments away from the final whistle. ^[15]

Details

30 May 2019 (2019-05-30)

21:30  UTC−3

River Plate	3–0	Athletico Paranaense
Fernández 65' Pratto 90+1' Suárez 90+5'	Report

Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires

Attendance: 66,500 ^[2]

Referee: Roberto Tobar (Chile)

River Plate

Athletico Paranaense

GK 1 Franco Armani RB 13 Gonzalo Montiel  58' CB 21 Lucas Martínez Quarta  55' CB 22 Javier Pinola LB 4 Fabrizio Angileri  86' DM 23 Leonardo Ponzio (c) CM 24 Enzo Pérez CM 15 Exequiel Palacios  46' AM 10 Ignacio Fernández CF 19 Rafael Santos Borré  71' CF 9 Lucas Pratto Substitutes: GK 14 Germán Lux DF 2 Robert Rojas DF 3 Nahuel Gallardo DF 6 Luciano Lollo MF 5 Bruno Zuculini MF 8 Jorge Carrascal MF 11 Nicolás De La Cruz  46' MF 18 Camilo Mayada  86' FW 7 Matías Suárez  71' Manager: Marcelo Gallardo

GK 1 Santos RB 2 Jonathan  90+3' CB 13 Paulo André CB 4 Léo Pereira LB 12 Renan Lodi  69' RM 11 Nikão  78' CM 5 Wellington  80' CM 16 Bruno Guimarães  66' LM 7 Rony AM 3 Lucho González (c)  45+2'  87' CF 9 Marco Ruben Substitutes: GK 25 Caio DF 6 Márcio Azevedo DF 21 Lucas Halter DF 23 Mádson MF 15 Erick MF 18 Léo Cittadini  87' MF 20 Matheus Rossetto MF 22 Thonny Anderson FW 8 Bruno Nazário FW 10 Marcelo Cirino  78' FW 17 Braian Romero  90+3' FW 19 Vitinho Manager: Tiago Nunes

Assistant referees [3] Christian Scheimann (Chile) Claudio Ríos (Chile) Fourth official [3] Eduardo Gamboa (Chile) Video assistant referee [3] Diego Haro (Peru) Assistant video assistant referees [3] Víctor Carrillo (Peru) Jonny Bossio (Peru)

Match rules [14] 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra time if necessary (away goals rule not applied) Penalty shoot-out if scores still level Twelve named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions, with a fourth allowed in extra time

Post-match

River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo praised his team after the second leg: "These players have a special gift for these kinds of matches, a winning mentality, a connection with their fans, with their people." He also made a remark on how the arrival of Lucas Pratto made an impact on his squad: "Tonight only confirms that we weren't wrong to bring Pratto in [...] Although he was valued based on his price tag, he more than justified what was paid for him." ^[16]

Athletico Paranaense's Tiago Nunes also complemented his squad following the loss: "I'm happy in the sense that the group fought. Even with a feeling of defeat, we have to be proud of what we built." He reflected on the match and towards River Plate, stating: "We played two great games against a superb team. It serves as a learning experience for a club that is becoming more prominent, like Athletico." ^[17]

River Plate qualified for the 2020 Copa Libertadores as champions of their domestic cup, the 2018–19 Copa Argentina. They had also finished in fourth place of the 2018–19 Superliga Argentina. ^[18] Athletico Paranaense followed a similar suit, as they managed a fifth place in the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, but won the 2019 Copa do Brasil, thereby securing a spot for the following season's Copa Libertadores. ^[10]

See also

• 2019 Copa Libertadores
• 2019 Copa Sudamericana
• 2018-19 Club Atlético River Plate season

References

1. "Habrá VAR en la Recopa ante Atlético Paranaense". La Página Millonaria. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
2. "Recopa 2018". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
3. "Árbitro confirmado para River-Athlético Paranaense por la Recopa Sudamericana". TyC Sports. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
4. en, Seguir (2019-05-22). "Dio la vuelta al mundo y no se jugó por cuatro años: cómo es la historia de la Recopa Sudamericana". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-17.
5. "El historial con todos los campeones de la CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana". ESPN.com.ar (in Spanish). 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
6. "Atlético Paranaense abraza la gloria por primera vez en su historia". CONMEBOL (in European Spanish). 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
7. "Athlético Paranaense y River Plate abren la lucha por la CONMEBOL Recopa". CONMEBOL (in European Spanish). 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
8. Fisher, Ben (2018-12-09). "River Plate 3-1 Boca Juniors (5-3 agg): Copa Libertadores final, second leg – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2026-01-12.
9. en, Seguir (2019-05-14). "River le ganó 4-1 a Atlético Tucumán, pero le faltó un gol para la hazaña: quedó eliminado de la Copa de la Superliga". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
10. "Brazil 2019". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
11. "Athletico-PR 1-0 River Plate (22 de May., 2019) Análisis del partido - ESPN (AR)". ESPN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-18.
12. Benozzi, Maximiliano (2019-05-22). "River jugó mal y cayó en Curitiba, pero la definición quedó abierta". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-10.
13. Plate, Club Atletico River. "Gallardo: "Nos vamos vivos"". caRiverPlate.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-18.
14. "Reglamento CONMEBOL Recopa 2019" (PDF). CONMEBOL.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2019.
15. "River Plate 3-0 Athletico-PR (30 de May., 2019) Análisis del partido - ESPN (AR)". ESPN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-18.
16. en, Seguir (2019-05-31). "Desaforado festejo, emoción y la frase sobre su continuidad que "asustó a los hinchas": el show de Gallardo en la conquista de River". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-18.
17. "Tiago Nunes diz que vice serve de aprendizado ao Athletico: "Orgulho do que construímos"". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
18. "Argentina 2018/19". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-12-18.

External links

• CONMEBOL Recopa, CONMEBOL.com (in Spanish)