Cruzeiro and Estudiantes played in their 4th and 5th Copa Libertadores finals, respectively. Cruzeiro last appearance was in 1997, in which they beat Sporting Cristal for their second title. Estudiantes returned after a 39-year absence. Their last finals appearance was in 1971, in which they lost to Uruguayan club Nacional.
Estudiantes de La Plata won the tie 4 points to 1 to earn their fourth Copa Libertadores title.[1]
Estadio Ciudad de La Plata (left) and Mineirão, venues for the series
The final will be played over two legs, each at a finalists home venue. The higher seeded team will play the second leg at home. The team that accumulates the most points —three for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs will be crowned the champion. Unlike the previous rounds, the away-goals rule will not be used. Should the two teams be tied on points after the second leg, the team with the best goal difference will win. If the two teams have equal goal difference, extra time will be used. The extra time will consist of two 15-minute halves. If the tie is still not broken, a penalty shoot-out, consisting of a maximum of five penalties per team, will ensue according to the Laws of the Game (although it is possible to win the penalty shootout before the fifth penalty kick is taken). If there is no clear winner after the 10 penalty kicks, then a sudden-death penalty shootout will ensue.
Route to the finals
Cruzeiro qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores as the 3rd place team in the 2008 Série A. This gave them the Brazil 3 spot and a direct qualification into the Second Stage. Estudiantes qualified into the Argentina 5 spot by having the 2nd best average of the 2007 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, & 2008 Apertura tournaments. The spot qualified them into the First Stage.
Estudiantes continued group play by hosting Universitario. Juan Manuel Salgueiro scored the only goal for Estudiantes, and subsequently the win. They then went to Quito to play Deportivo Quito. Estudiantes lost the match 1−0. Deportivo Quito then visited Estudiantes for their next match. Estudiantes soundly won the match 4−0 thanks to a goal by Enzo Pérez and a hat-trick by Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes' last match of group play ended in a scoreless tie against Universitario.
Cruzeiro and Estudiantes finished 1 & 2, respectively, which advanced them to the Round of 16.
Cruzeiro's semifinal match-up was against another Brazilian side, top-seeded Grêmio. Cruzeiro won the first leg 3−1 thanks to goals by Wellington Paulista, Wágner, and Fabinho. The second leg, played in Porto Alegre, ended in a 2−2 tie. Wellington Paulista scored twice for Cruzeiro in as many minutes, but Grêmio came back and tied it in the second half. Cruzeiro advanced 4−1 on points.
As of the finals, Cruzeiro is the most effective team in the tournament, with an efficacy rating of 80.56% (9 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss).
Estudiantes was seeded 10 for the last stages of the tournament. Estudiantes' round of 16 match-up was against Paraguayan club Libertad. Seeded 7, Libertad was the first team to advance to the round of 16. Estudiantes won the first match 3−0 with goals by Gastón Fernández (with the fastest goal of the tournament) and Mauro Boselli (2). A 0−0 tie was enough in the second leg to advance Estudiantes 4−1 on points.
In the semifinals, Estudiantes met another Uruguayan club, 3 seeded Nacional. In the first leg, played at home, Estudiantes won with a lone goal by Diego Galván. In the second leg, Estudiantes won 1−2 with a pair of goals by Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes advanced 6−0 on points.
As of the finals, Estudiantes has an efficacy rating of 69.05% (9 wins, 2 draws, 3 loss). Striker Mauro Boselli is currently tied as the top-scorer of the tournament, with 7 goals.
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