River Plate win extra-time Copa Libertadores thriller over Boca Juniors

After the second leg was moved to the Bernabeu in Madrid, River Plate won 3-1 in extra time to capture the 2018 Copa Libertadores over rival Boca Juniors.

A match originally scheduled for November 24 finally commenced on Sunday, but it took place more than 6,000 miles away from Buenos Aires. Instead of playing at their home stadium in the Belgrano district of the Argentine capital, River Plate was on the opposite side of the Atlantic playing at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. There they were ostensibly the “home” team at the home of Real Madrid, celebrating at the end of a 3-1 extra-time victory over rival Boca Juniors in a historic Superclásico for the Copa Libertadores title.

In the first leg played in mid-November at La Bombonera, Boca Juniors gave away two away goals to River Plate in a 2-2 draw. That match was also delayed, by weather rather than fan violence, and the visitors had every reason to be confident for their return match at El Monumental a fortnight later. But fans bombarding the Boca Juniors bus on November 24 originally pushed the start time a few hours, then the start date back by a day. Continued disruptions the following day led CONMEBOL to arrange for the neutral-site match.

Instead of choosing a spot within Buenos Aires, where more than five dozen professional stadiums exist, or elsewhere in inside Argentina or inside South America, CONMEBOL opted to go for the cash grab. With Real Madrid away over the weekend, the Bernabeu was open for a legendary showdown on another continent for the South American crown.

Boca Juniors struck first, as Dario Benedetto scored just before halftime on a play where he split through two River defenders and deftly outlasted goalkeeper Franco Armani for the opener. Up 1-0 at the intermission, the designated visitors lost that advantage midway through the second half when Lucas Pratto equalized for River Plate.

Just before going into second-half stoppage time, a chippy string of play led to a quick succession of yellow cards dealt out at the end of regulation time. One of those yellow cards proved costly, as Boca Juniors lost Wílmar Barrios to a second yellow card just a few minutes into extra time.

It was a costly loss for Boca Juniors, who gave up the winning goal in the 109th minute to Juan Quintero on a shot that went over the goal line off the crossbar. And in the final seconds, River Plate added a third goal for insurance. Gonzalo Martínez scored on an empty net after clearing a Boca corner kick where everyone including goalkeeper Esteban Andrada had pushed up in attack.

With the win in extra time, River Plate extended their unbeaten streak against Boca Juniors to five straight matches in Copa Libertadores play. The victory concluded the fourth South American championship in club history for River Plate. For Boca Juniors, their Copa Libertadores drought extends to 11 years and counting after the disappointment in Spain.