Argentina's Estudiantes won its first Copa Libertadores title in 39 years when it came from behind to hand Cruzeiro its first home defeat by 2-1 in the final on Wednesday. Estudiantes clinched its fourth title 2-1 on aggregate after the teams played to 0-0 in the first leg of the final last week in La Plata.
Estudiantes stunned more than 65,000 fans at Mineirao Stadium, where home team Cruzeiro had won all six of its matches in this year's tournament, including a 3-0 win over Estudiantes in group play. "We were able to silence more than 60,000 people,'' Estudiantes defender Christian Cellay said. "That was really incredible. It's hard to believe we did it.'' The estimated 3,000 Estudiantes fans erupted when Mauro Boselli headed in a corner taken by veteran midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron.
On the list of champions, Estudiantes' four titles ranks behind only Argentina's Independiente (7), Argentina's Boca Juniors (6) and Uruguay's Penarol (5). Argentina features the most Copa Libertadores champions with 22, while Brazil is second with 13. The game marked the 12th final between Brazilian and Argentine clubs, with Argentina winning nine of them. It was the 50th edition of the Copa Libertadores.