Flamengo wins the glory after spicy Copa Lib final
Flamengo secured its fourth Copa Libertadores title with a narrow 1-0 victory over Palmeiras at Estadio Monumental in Lima, the first Brazilian side to do so, but it was arguably lucky to finish the game with 11 players on the field.
The decisive goal came in the 67th minute when Danilo rose highest to power home a header from a Giorgian de Arrascaeta corner to break the deadlock.
But another decisive moment occurred with the teams level at 0-0 in the first half when Erick Pulgar was seen to have clearly raked his studs down the shin of Palmeiras right back Bruno Fuchs, leaving him with a visible scar on his right leg.
However, the referee and his video assistant team deemed the offence only to be a yellow card and play continued with both sides at their full compliment.
It was a largely cagey first half, with neither side able to get a shot on target. Indeed to first effort on goal in the match was Danilo's winner.
Palmeiras had a golden chance to level the scores late on when the ball fell kindly for Vitor Roque on the edge of the six-yard box in the 89th minute, but when scoring looked easier, he blasted the ball high over the bar, effectively sealing the result for Felipe Luis's side
This result helped the Rio de Janeiro club extend Brazil's dominance in the tournament to a seventh consecutive year.
"All finals are difficult, and this one was very tough. Scoring the goal with the team I love, I have no words," Brazilian defender Danilo said after the game.
"We put a lot of work into set pieces, I knew we would have a chance, I took advantage of it, and now it’s time to celebrate."
Palmeiras pushed for an equaliser, but Flamengo defended resolutely and nearly doubled its lead with Jorge Carrascal and Everton efforts in added time.
"It was a tough match. It’s a sad day, but champions are made of this, we’ll get our revenge," Palmeiras forward Jose "El Flaco" Lopez said, highlighting his team's determination to bounce back in the domestic league.
Palmeiras currently trails league leader Flamengo by five points in the Brasileirao, with two rounds remaining.
For Flamengo, the win gave it a sense of redemption as Palmeiras had defeated it in the 2021 final.
