Further and further: Chile’s last Copa Libertadores final turns 30

It is not new to underline that the recent campaigns of the Chilean teams in Libertadores Cup , the main club competition on the continent, have been modest to say the least. Going to the round of 16 is seen as a realistic goal, rather than competing to reach decisive instances. Besides, the distance between the powerful in Brazil and the rest of South America also increased during the last years.

You have to go back three decades to find the last time a representative of national football was installed in the definition of the Libertadores, when the activity was very different from what it is today. The decade of the 90s was one of the most glorious that Creole football has known. Colo Colo lifted the trophy in 1991 and two years later another nation great was set to repeat the feat. Was the catholic university commanded by Ignacio Prieto, one of his distinguished names, the one who accepted the final. The crusaders were overtaken by the mythical Sao Paulo of Telé Santana. This campaign is 30 years old.

At that time, there were 21 participating clubs, from 10 countries. Católica won Group 2 with eight points, beating Cobreloa and Bolivians Bolívar and San José. In the knockout stages, from the round of 16 to the semi-finals, UC have always had to define themselves as visitors. The first direct match was against Atlético Nacional, with a 2-0 victory in Santiago and a 2-1 defeat in Medellín. Later, in the best eight round, Barcelona from Ecuador met. With a brace from Juan Carlos Almada, UC won 3-1 in San Carlos. The comeback, in Guayaquil, was a 1-0 victory with a Moto Romero goal.

One of the big matches of this campaign was the semi-final second leg against América de Cali, Colombia. In the first leg, the Chileans imposed themselves by the minimum. The rematch was tough as the Scarlet cast won 2-0 within 15 minutes. However, the story had a happy ending for the Crusaders. Ricardo Lunari made it 2-2 with three minutes remaining. The pivotal moment in the series came in the 1990s, when Uruguayan referee Ernesto Filippi sanctioned a penalty for América, due to a foul by Mario Lepe on Antony De Ávila. In injury time, goalkeeper Óscar Wirth saved the shot and put UC in the definition against Sao Paulo.

“This team had the particularity of not changing much in the way they played at home and during visits. This led us to be competitive. And an important technical direction, by Ignacio Prieto. The conformation of the teams and the way of playing have to do with the coach”, underlines Óscar Wirth at La Tercera, recalling the most of a team that also had Sergio Fabián Vázquez, Raimundo Tupper, Nelson Parraguez, Luis Pérez and Rodrigo Barrera, among others.

On May 19, 1993, the first leg final was held, in a Morumbí with more than 90,000 people. The Sao Paulo of Zetti, Raí, Palhinha, Cafú, Müller and Caté himself (who played in the foothills and were the 1997 Apertura champion) comfortably beat the nationals 5-1 and greatly reducing the Catholic’s chances of winning. On May 26, it was the turn, at the National Stadium. Before 15 minutes, the Crusaders were already winning 2-0, fueling the dream of an epic comeback. But ultimately it wasn’t enough. In December of the same year, the paulistas beat Milan in the Intercontinental Cup, in Japan.

It is said that a national team has not played in the Libertadores final for 30 years. This absence in this type of instances becomes even longer compared to the rest of the district. The reflection of a sad reality.

Of all the Conmebol countries that have had finalists in this competition (Bolivia and Venezuela do not enter here, whose clubs have never reached it), Chile is the one that has not reached another longest final. Nothing less than three decades. From 1993 to today, the most notable campaigns have been four semi-finals: three for the U (1996, 2010 and 2012) and one for Colo Colo (1997).

Next on the list is Peru, whose last finalist was Sporting Cristal, 26 years ago (1997) . The beer cast, whose DT was Sergio Markarian, faced Cruzeiro, who became the champion. The neighboring country also saw its campaigns in the rise of the Libertadores. Unlike Chile, yes, a Peruvian cast has never lifted the trophy. Then appears Uruguay, whose last finalist was Peñarol, 12 years ago (2011). . Manya, who in this edition knocked out UC in the quarter-finals, lost definition to Neymar’s Santos.

Even Mexico, which no longer participates in Conmebol tournaments, had better campaigns over the period in question. The last final for an Aztec club dates back to 2015, when the Tigers fell to River Plate.

“If we are very far from returning to a final? The results show it. There is no football to think about, at least in the near future, in a (Chilean) team playing a final . There is no level of football to think about that. The championship has a very low level,” explains Wirth. “It is important to have the raw material that allows you to play competitively. And the other thing is to work at a higher level. Each time we are less competitive, ”adds the exporter.

The only Copa Libertadores in Chilean football was brought by Colo Colo, in 1991, from the hand of Mirko Jozic. Of the 10 countries that make up Conmebol, and that participate in this tournament, three do not have such a trophy in their windows: Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. Of the seven others who have this distinction, only one has not won it for longer than Chile. It is Uruguay, whose last monarch was Nacional, in 1988. It is quite the opposite that happens in Brazil, which has the last four champions: Flamengo and Palmeiras, twice each.