2024 Copa Libertadores final

2024 Copa Libertadores final

The Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires hosted the final.
Event	2024 Copa Libertadores
Atlético Mineiro Botafogo 1 3
Date	30 November 2024
Venue	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
Man of the Match	Luiz Henrique
Referee	Facundo Tello (Argentina)
Attendance	69,803
← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 Copa Libertadores final was the final match which decided the winner of the 2024 Copa Libertadores. This was the 65th edition of the Copa Libertadores, the top-tier South American continental club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL.

The match was played by Brazilian sides Atlético Mineiro and Botafogo on 30 November 2024 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ^[1]

Botafogo defeated Atlético Mineiro in the match by a 3–1 score to win their first Copa Libertadores title. ^[2] Luiz Henrique was elected MVP of the final and of the tournament. ^{[3] [4]} As winners of the competition, Botafogo qualified for the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2024 Copa Sudamericana in the 2025 Recopa Sudamericana. They also automatically qualifed for the 2025 Copa Libertadores group stage.

Venue

On 13 February 2024, the Argentine Football Association announced through its social media accounts that CONMEBOL had selected Buenos Aires as the host city for the final match of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, at a stadium to be confirmed. ^[5] From 26 to 30 May 2024, a delegation from CONMEBOL visited three stadiums that were shortlisted to host the event, which were Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Estadio Libertadores de América in Avellaneda, and Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona in La Plata to evaluate technical aspects of the stadiums and visit potential training centers and accommodation sites for the finalist teams. ^[6]

On 4 October 2024, CONMEBOL confirmed Estadio Monumental as the venue for the final match. ^[1] This was the first Copa Libertadores final hosted in Argentina since the finals have been played as single matches, as well as the eighth time that a Copa Libertadores final was played at the stadium. ^[7]

Teams

Team	Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners)
Atlético Mineiro	1 ( 2013 )
Botafogo	None

Road to the final

Further information: 2024 Copa Libertadores

Note: In all scores below, the score of the home team is given first.

Atlético Mineiro			Round	Botafogo
Opponent	Venue	Score		Opponent	Venue	Score
Qualifying stages
Bye			Second stage	Aurora (won 7–1 on aggregate)	Away	1–1
					Home	6–0
			Third stage	Red Bull Bragantino (won 3–2 on aggregate)	Home	2–1
					Away	1–1
Group G			Group stage	Group D
Caracas	Away	1–4		Junior	Home	1–3
Rosario Central	Home	2–1		LDU Quito	Away	1–0
Peñarol	Home	3–2		Universitario	Home	3–1
Rosario Central	Away	0–1		LDU Quito	Home	2–1
Peñarol	Away	2–0		Universitario	Away	0–1
Caracas	Home	4–0		Junior	Away	0–0
Pos Team v t e Pld Pts 1 Atlético Mineiro 6 15 2 Peñarol 6 12 3 Rosario Central 6 7 4 Caracas 6 1 Source: CONMEBOL				Pos Team v t e Pld Pts 1 Junior 6 10 2 Botafogo 6 10 3 LDU Quito 6 7 4 Universitario 6 5 Source: CONMEBOL
Seed 2			Final stages	Seed 14
San Lorenzo (won 2–1 on aggregate)	Away	1–1	Round of 16	Palmeiras (won 4–3 on aggregate)	Home	2–1
	Home	1–0			Away	2–2
Fluminense (won 2–1 on aggregate)	Away	1–0	Quarter-finals	São Paulo (tied 1–1 on aggregate, won on penalties)	Home	0–0
	Home	2–0			Away	1–1 (5–4 p)
River Plate (won 3–0 on aggregate)	Home	3–0	Semi-finals	Peñarol (won 6–3 on aggregate)	Home	5–0
	Away	0–0			Away	3–1

Format

The final was played as a single match at a pre-selected venue, with the higher-seeded team designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes. If scores were level after full time, 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If still tied after extra time, a penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner. ^[8]

Pre-match

Opening ceremony

On the opening ceremony before the kick-off, after a live music and dance performance, Djonga sang chants of Atlético Mineiro's fans and the club's anthem, and Marcelo Adnet did the same for Botafogo. ^[9] The trophy of Copa Libertadores was brought to the pitch by Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. ^[10]

Match

Luiz Henrique scored Botafogo's first goal, suffered the penalty that resulted in the second, and was elected MVP of the final and of the competition.

Matías Zaracho (Atlético Mineiro) and Bastos (Botafogo) missed the final due to injuries, as well as Mateo Ponte (Botafogo), ruled out due to suspension. ^[11]

First half

29 seconds into the match, Botafogo midfielder Gregore hit Fausto Vera on the head with the sole of his boot during a dispute for the ball in midfield, and received a straight red card. ^{[12] [13]} In the following minutes, Botafogo reorganized itself with ten men without its manager Artur Jorge making any substitutions, and handed the ball over to Atlético Mineiro, who only managed to pose any danger with two shots from afar by Hulk, defended by John. Afterwards, the Rio de Janeiro club loosened up, went on the attack, and in the 35th minute, a play by Thiago Almada resulted in a shot by Marlon Freitas that hit Junior Alonso in the penalty area, and its rebound reached Luiz Henrique, who finished with force and scored the first goal of the final. ^[12] Less than ten minutes later, after a back pass to Atlético goalkeeper Éverson, Luiz Henrique pressed, overcame Guilherme Arana's marking and protected the ball until he reached the penalty area, when he was fouled by the goalkeeper and suffered a penalty, which was given after the referee's review using VAR. Alex Telles took a powerful cross shot with his left foot, displacing Éverson and making it 2-0 for Botafogo at the end of the first half. ^{[12] [13]}

Eduardo Vargas scored for Atlético right after coming in at half-time, but later wasted two clear goal chances.

Second half

Atlético manager Gabriel Milito made substitutions at half-time and returned to the pitch with Bernard, Mariano and Eduardo Vargas, reorganizing his team's offensive structure. ^{[12] [13]} The changes soon took effect, when two minutes into the second half, a corner kick taken by Hulk found Vargas unmarked, and the Chilean striker headed the ball out of John's reach, scoring for the team from Minas Gerais. After the goal, Atlético insistently pressed Botafogo to seek an equalizer, but with little repertoire or effective alternatives even with an extra player. ^[12] In the meanwhile, Artur Jorge reinforced the Rio de Janeiro side's marking with the entries of Danilo Barbosa and Marçal. ^[13] The most dangerous plays of the Minas Gerais club came with Hulk on the right wing, and with Mariano passing to Vargas and Alan Kardec, who wasted chances in front of John. Vargas also missed another opportunity in the 88th minute, when he tried to lob the goalkeeper after a mistake by Adryelson. ^[12] In the final minutes, Botafogo sought counterattacks with Júnior Santos amidst Atlético's pressure, and the strategy paid off when, in the 97th minute, he received a long kick on the right, dribbled past two Atlético players, tried to cross to Matheus Martins and got the rebound, pushing it into the empty goal and sealing both the victory of the team from Rio de Janeiro and his position as top scorer of the competition, with ten goals. ^{[12] [13]}

Details

30 November 2024 (2024-11-30)

17:00  UTC−3

Atlético Mineiro	1–3	Botafogo
Vargas 47'	Report	Luiz Henrique 35' Telles 44' (pen.) Júnior Santos 90+7'

Estadio Monumental , Buenos Aires

Attendance: 69,803

Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina) ^[14]

Atlético Mineiro

Botafogo

GK 22 Everson RCB 2 Lyanco  45+1'  46' CB 21 Rodrigo Battaglia  30' LCB 8 Júnior Alonso RM 6 Gustavo Scarpa  46' RDM 18 Fausto Vera  45+2'  46' LDM 23 Alan Franco LM 13 Guilherme Arana RAM 7 Hulk (c)  90+2' LAM 10 Paulinho CF 9 Deyverson  76' Substitutes: GK 31 Matheus Mendes DF 3 Bruno Fuchs DF 16 Igor Rabello DF 25 Mariano  46' DF 26 Renzo Saravia DF 44 Rubens MF 5 Otávio MF 17 Igor Gomes MF 20 Bernard  46' MF 45 Alisson FW 11 Eduardo Vargas  46' FW 14 Alan Kardec  76' Manager: Gabriel Milito

GK 12 John RB 22 Vitinho  90+4' RCB 34 Adryelson LCB 20 Alexander Barboza LB 13 Alex Telles  45+3'  58' RDM 26 Gregore  2' LDM 17 Marlon Freitas (c) RW 7 Luiz Henrique  79' AM 10 Jefferson Savarino  58' LW 18 Thiago Almada  79'  80' CF 99 Igor Jesus  90+3' Substitutes: GK 1 Gatito Fernández DF 3 Lucas Halter DF 21 Marçal  58' DF 66 Cuiabano MF 5 Danilo Barbosa  58' MF 6 Tchê Tchê MF 28 Allan  90+3' MF 33 Eduardo MF 70 Óscar Romero FW 9 Tiquinho Soares FW 11 Júnior Santos  90+9'  80' FW 37 Matheus Martins  79' Manager: Artur Jorge

Assistant referees: [14] Ezequiel Brailovsky (Argentina) Gabriel Chade (Argentina) Fourth official: Yael Falcón Pérez (Argentina) Fifth official: Cristian Navarro (Argentina) Video assistant referee: Mauro Vigliano (Argentina) Assistant video assistant referees: Christian Lescano (Ecuador) Carlos Orbe (Ecuador) Hernán Mastrángelo (Argentina)

Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Twelve named substitutes. Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time.

See also

• 2024 Copa Sudamericana final

References

1. "La Final de la CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024 se disputará en el Estadio Monumental" [The 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores Final will be played at Estadio Monumental] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
2. "¡Botafogo conquista la Gloria Eterna!" [Botafogo conquer the Eternal Glory!] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
3. "Melhor da final, Luiz Henrique comemora título: 'Estou vivendo um sonho'". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
4. "Herói da final e eleito melhor da Libertadores, Luiz Henrique desabafa: 'Tentaram acabar comigo'". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
5. "Oficial: la final de la Copa Libertadores 2024 se disputará en Buenos Aires" [Official: the 2024 Copa Libertadores final will be played in Buenos Aires] (in Spanish). Infobae. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
6. "Visita técnica en Buenos Aires – Final CONMEBOL Libertadores" [Technical visit in Buenos Aires – CONMEBOL Libertadores Final] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
7. "Cuántas finales de Copa Libertadores se jugaron en el Monumental" [How many Copa Libertadores finals were played at the Monumental] (in Spanish). El Gráfico. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
8. "Manual de Clubes CONMEBOL Libertadores 2024" (PDF). CONMEBOL. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
9. "Abertura da final da Libertadores tem Djonga, Adnet e Djokovic com a taça". Band (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
10. "Djokovic conduz a taça na entrada em campo na final da Libertadores". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
11. "Atlético-MG x Botafogo: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
12. "Atlético-MG 1 x 3 Botafogo | Taça Conmebol Libertadores: melhores momentos". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-12-01.
13. "Botafogo supera expulsão no início, vence Atlético e conquista Libertadores". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
14. "Designación de árbitros – Final 2024" (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 20 November 2024.

External links

• CONMEBOL Libertadores
• CONMEBOL.com