December 9: Six years have passed since the historic Copa Libertadores final between River and Boca in Madrid

He December 9 2024 marks 6 years of the historic final of the Copa Libertadores between River and Bocaplayed at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid. After a series of eventualities that complicated their normal performance, the last match had to be played in Spain. Initially, the first leg in La Bombonera had to be postponed until the next day due to torrential rain that did not allow the game to be played.

That first battle ended 2-2 with goals from Ramón Ábila and Benedetto for Boca, and Pratto and Izquierdoz against for the millionaires. For the second leg, a mess occurred that had several protagonists. Due to an attack on the Boca bus, the match that was supposed to be at Monumental ended up in Madrid.

Chronology of a movie finale

It all started on November 11 at the Boca Juniors court. The match was scheduled for the previous day but torrential rain made it impossible to play, and it was postponed to the next day. In a great back-and-forth match, Boca found themselves with the first goal thanks to a weak response from Armani that Wanchope Ábila took advantage of.

However, one of the events occurred that later became a chicanery for River fans: “How are they going to score a goal for you by taking it out of the middle?” And so it was, as soon as River moved after the blow, Gonzalo Martínez decided to advance and make a filtered pass for Pratto who tied the game just 1 minute after Boca’s goal.

In an electrifying match, back and forth, Benedetto before the end of the first half scored the 2-1 for Boca after a free kick and in the second half, with the same formula, Izquierdoz deflected a cross from Pity Martínez who had Pratto’s head as a target and nailed it into Rossi’s goal. The match ended 2-2 after a memorable save by Armani on Benedetto in the six-yard box in the 90th minute.

December 9, the most anticipated final in Madrid

He The second leg was to be played on November 24 at the Monumental. But in a poor security operation In charge of the federal police, the bus with the Boca players passed through a street where there was a mass of River fans who threw stones, damaging Boca players who did not want to play the game that day. The next day, with all the fans waiting, the game was not played either. Boca appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to request the points and the final, but the body considered that it was not sufficient reason for said sanction.

However, through controversial negotiations, It was decided that the match would be movedinitially to another country in America and then to Madrid, to the Santiago Bernabéu who knows why. In any case, the game was played on December 9, with fans of both teams.

It started with the expected tension of a match of such magnitude, and in the first half Boca took advantage with a great goal from Darío Benedetto that left Maidana on the floor and finished with class against Armani after a great pass from Nahitan Nández.

In the second half, as the minutes passed, the entry of Juan Fernando Quintero for Leonardo Ponzio made River tilt the court and he ended up wearing it. First with a goal from Pratto after a wall between Nacho Fernández and Exequiel Palacios at the door of the large area. And then in extra time with a great goal from Quintero that remained in the memory of River fans.

There was room for million-dollar suffering after Jara hit the post with a shot. And Boca, with 2 fewer players due to Barrios’ expulsion and Gago’s injury, desperately searched for an equalizer even with his goalkeeper, who could do nothing in the match. minute 120 when Pity Martinez escaped and sealed the story 3-1 with an empty goal.

The legacy left by that final between River and Boca

That Copa Libertadores final produced a break between River and Boca. It was the most important final played between the two and set a historical precedent. Besides, River won its fourth Copa Libertadoresbalancing the international numbers a little against his rival, who has 6.

Furthermore, before the match, both on the River and Boca sides, the protagonists considered that the consequences for the loser would be devastating. This left Marcelo Gallardo as the most important technical director in the history of River and created a statistic that did not exist between the two teams, which had never met in a final of an international competition.