South America review: Madrid hosts Libertadores final, more news

The biggest news in South American soccer didn’t take place in South America. Let’s break down the Libertadores final and the rest of this week’s action.

On Sunday afternoon, the second leg of the Superclasico-supercharged Copa Libertadores final finally took place at at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. Boca Juniors drew first blood, but ultimately fell 3-1 in extra-time against River Plate to cede the South American title to their rivals on European soil. In the process, River Plate won their fourth Copa Libertadores crown, while Boca Juniors missed their chance to claim the club’s first Libertadores title since 2007.

Even though the biggest match in Argentine soccer history was taking place more than 10,000 kilometers away in Madrid, there was still plenty of action taking place across South America as leagues wind down their seasons and prepare for the holidays.

Five of the 10 members of CONMEBOL have already completed their 2018 seasons. Three others are in the process of finals series to determine who will emerge as the champion. Bolivia’s top flight is winding down the year with only two more matchdays, and thus only Argentina is currently operating on a calendar in line with European leagues.

(That’s a good point to remember when fans in the United States talk about going onto an “international” schedule. What they really mean is a European calendar, not an international one.)

While Boca and River were battling at the home of Real Madrid, there was Superliga Argentina action taking place without them on the other side of the Atlantic. The two Copa Libertadores finalists postponed their matches against Atletico Tucuman and Rosario Central respectively, but the rest of the league’s teams participated in the 15th matchday.

Given the league’s uneven table at the moment, it’s hard to project much about what might happen over the last half of the season. What is evident, though, is that Racing Club is a clear leader and Atletico Tucuman will have a legitimate chance to keep pushing for their first-ever title at the top flight of Argentine soccer.

With the seasons in Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela now wrapped up, and four other title races winding down, let’s review this week in soccer across South America.

Junior FC open big lead in first leg of Colombia’s Clausura final

The two-leg final to determine the Clausura champion in Colombia started with the opening match this weekend in Barranquilla. On Saturday, home side Junior FC rolled to a huge 4-1 victory at Estadio Metropolitano against Independiente Medellin. The victory sets up Junior with a great chance to win their first title since the 2011 Clausura.

The match was scoreless through the first half, but Junior turned on the heat as soon as the second half kicked off. Luis Fernando Diaz opened the scoring in the 50th minute, and James Sanchez added a second goal six minutes later.

German Cano halved the deficit with an away goal in the 66th minute, but Teofilo Gutierrez and Marlon Piedrahita added two more goals in the final 10 minutes. That set up Junior with a three-goal lead for the return trip to Medellin. Independiente has a tall task ahead of them if they are going to level things up and turn around the finals series for the Clausura.

Emelec win Clausura in Ecuador, set up two-leg final vs. LDU Quito

The final matchday of the Clausura played out in the Ecuadorian Serie A on Saturday, with six matches closing out the second half of the season. Even with second-place Macara winning at Independiente del Valle, all Emelec needed to do was get a draw to secure the Clausura title.

Emelec did one better, taking down Tecnico Universitario 2-1 in the final match to finish three points clear of Macara. Ronaldo Johnson put the visitors up 1-0 in the 54th minute, and Brayan Angulo Tenorio converted a penalty attempt 10 minutes later to double the score. Tecnico got one back four minutes later when Willer Marret put it in the goal past Esteban Dreer to erase the clean sheet.

But Dreer locked down the net from there, and the score held with Emelec as Clausura champs. In Ecuador, there is always a final after the Clausura is finished that pits the Apertura and Clausura winners against one another for the year’s bragging rights. Emelec will square off against Apertura champion LDU Quito over two legs. The first leg will be hosted by Emelec in Guayaquil on Thursday, with the return match on Sunday in Quito.

Alianza Lima pass Melgar for shot against Sporting Cristal in Peru

On Thursday, Alianza Lima got past Melgar on penalties to advance to the 2018 championship final against Sporting Cristal in Peru. Alianza and Melgar played to a 3-3 draw last Sunday, and the second leg in Arequipa ended in a 2-2 draw in regulation. That led to spot kicks to decide the semifinal.

Melgar completely collapsed at home in the shootout, missing all four of their attempts as Alianza Lima advanced 2-0 on penalties. Luis Alberto Ramirez and Janio Posito successfully finished their spot kicks, and that was enough to send Los Blanquiazules through to the Liga Aguila final. The two-leg series will be played against Sporting Cristal, the winner of the season-opening Torneo de Verano and the Apertura round of the season.

Thus it will be a Lima derby for the championship in 2018. Alianza Lima hosts the first match in La Victoria at Estadio Alejandro Villaneuva on Wednesday. The return match takes place four days later in Rimac at Estadio Alberto Gallardo, about two and a half miles away from La Victoria. The winner on aggregate will be crowned the 2018 champion in Peru.

Zamora claim Venezuelan title over Clausura winner Deportivo Lara

After the first leg of the 2018 championship in Venezuela, Apertura winner Zamora and Clausura winner Deportivo Lara were knotted up at 1-1 on aggregate. The opener in Cabudare worked out well for visiting Zamora, who was set up to claim the crown if they could secure a win at home on Wednesday in Barinas.

Zamora did far more than just secure a win. In just 69 minutes on the pitch, forward Antonio Romero stole the show with a hat-trick to guide the hosts to a 4-0 victory and a 5-1 finish on aggregate. Romero got his first goal just five minutes into the match, a second midway through the first half, and the third came a dozen minutes after halftime. His substitute, Angel Osorio, came on and added a fourth goal right before second-half stoppage time.

The win ensured that the leaders in the aggregate table would win the Venezuelan Primera for the first time since Deportivo Lara won both the Apertura and Clausura during the 2011-2012 season. (The season was shifted to a calendar-year basis after an adjustment season in 2015.) Zamora finished one point ahead of Caracas and Deportivo La Guiara in the combination table of the Apertura and Clausura results, making them the champion in Venezuela by any measure.

With that, there are now only five domestic leagues left to settle. Three will be complete by next weekend, with Bolivia wrapping up its Clausura on Dec. 19. And after three final matches on Monday and Thursday, the Superliga in Argentina will take a holiday break until late January.