Meet Patricia Carlucho. She is one of Uruguay's rising stars, at age 25 she has a long road ahead. Professional dancer, fitness instructor. Another beauty from El Rio de La Plata....
The Santiago Bernabéu will be giving their greatest idol one of the greatest ovations ever as Raúl González Blanco will say farewell to the Real Madrid faithful ...
Velez Sarsfield (Argentina) lost 3-0 against Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico) in the first leg of the round of sixteen of the Copa Libertadores. The first goal was scored by the Hector Reynoso, the Mexican international had been suspended by the CONMEBOL and his ban had not been removed.
In a 2009 Copa Libertadores cup game against Everton from Chile, Hector Reynoso spat several times on the face of Sebastian Penco after threatening to pass him the swine flu virus (AH1N1), which was considered a pandemic disease last year. After the match Reynoso apologized for his actions, but that did not stop the suspension.
Reynoso played against Velez Sarsfield despite the suspension and this could cost Chivas the ticket to the next round, giving Velez Sarsfield an automatic go. This is sad considering the fact that Chivas outplayed Velez.
The knockout stage of the 2010 edition of the Copa Libertadores is finally here as the best club teams in South America compete for the title of "Campéon De América."
Tuesday's matches featured both Mexican teams, the defending Libertadores champions, and red cards. Chivas Guadalajara took a commanding lead against Argentine side Vélez Sarsfield. With the Mexican playoffs looming, Chivas built great momentum by defeating Vélez 3-0 at home at Estadio Jalisco in the 1st leg. 2 goals by former Deportivo La Coruña forward Omar Bravo lifted Chivas and a 89th minute red card by Vélez keeper Germán Montoya led to the 3rd Chivas goal, a PK converted by Hector Reynoso.
Defending champions, Estudiantes La Plata got an important road goal by Leandro González in the 24th minute to finalize a 1-0 first leg advantage against San Luis. Estudiantes will be without key defender for the 2nd leg in La Plata as Clemente Rodriguez got a red card in the 68th minute.
Wednesday night, the Brazilian teams took center stage. The marquee matchup featured the 2009 Brasileirão champs, Flamengo and '09 Copa Do Brasil champs, Corinthians at the Maracaná. A penalty by Adriano gave the Rio side a slight 1-0 edge over Ronaldo and Corinthians going into the 2nd leg.
Internacional got a valuable away goal but still face a massive hole against Argentina's Banfield. 3 second half goals including 2 goals after Inter's goal scorer Kléber was red carded in the 56th minute. Banfield takes a 3-1 first leg advantage to Porto Alegre for the 2nd leg. São Paulo took part in a scoreless draw versus Peruvian side, Universitario.
Thursday's night, La U de Chile took a big step toward the quarters with their 1-0 road win against Alianza Lima in Peru. Diego Rivarola 85th minute goal was the Argentine's 1st of the tournament. Colombian side Once Caldas couldn't take advantage if their home ground as they drew 0-0 against Paraguayan side Libertad.
The star of the Round of 16 first leg matches was Thiago Ribeiro of Cruzeiro. His hat trick in the 1st half led the Brazilians to a 3-1 win against Nacional of Uruguay. The 3 goals moved Thiago Ribeiro into 2nd place on the goalscorers list for this year's tournament. Mario Rigueiro's 50th minute goal gives the Uruguayans a chance for the 2nd leg at the Parque Central in Montevideo.
Here are the results from the 1st leg of Round of 16 matches of the 2010 Copa Santander Libertadores, the home teams are listed first.
The tournament also known as the Copa Libertadores de América has moved into the Round of 16. The South American equivalent to the UEFA Champions League is now into its most exciting part of the tournament.
BRAZILIAN TEAMS SHOW POWER IN LIBERTADORES
Brazilian sides continue their emphasis on winning Libertadores' trophies as all 5 of their representatives advanced to the Round of 16. Corinthians earned the #1 seed as they went undefeated in Group 1 winning 5 of their 6 group matches. Timão will face another popular Brazilian side in the Round of 16 as they take on #16 seed Flamengo. A clash of São Paulo vs. Río de Janeiro and the '09 Copa Do Brasil champs vs. '09 Brasileirão champs.
São Paulo FC earned the #2 seed by winning Group 2 with a stingy defense. Tricolor Paulista allowed only 2 goals in the group stage. An impressive number matched only by Universitario of Peru and another Brazilian side Internacional.
The Porto Alegre side won Group 5 on the last match of the group stage. O Colorado beat Deportivo Quito 3-0 at home to ensure Internacional's place in the Round of 16 as a #6 seed. They will face the '09 Argentine Apertura champions, Banfield.
Last year's finalists, Cruzeiro was the only Brazilian side not to win their group but they gained the #10 seed by finishing 2nd in Group 7. Raposa will take on Group 6 winners and #7 seed, Nacional of Uruguay.
ESTUDIANTES LEADS ARGENTINE SIDES INTO KNOCKOUT STAGES
The defending champions, Estudiantes La-Plata breezed into the Round of 16 as a #3 seed by winning Group 3 with 13 points. La Pincha must get past Mexican side San Luis, who got a pass into the Round of 16 after last year's swine flu controversy that led to Mexican to withdraw from the '09 edition.
The 2009 Argentine Clausura champions Vélez Sarsfield earned the #4 seed as El Fortín won Group 7. They will face the other Mexican side in the Round of 16 Chivas de Guadalajara. Chivas is a #13 seed and is the 2nd Argentina vs. México matchup of the Round of 16.
Banfield, the 2009 Argentine Apertura champions will occupy the #11 seed by virtue of finishing 2nd in Group 6. In their 3rd Libertadores appearance, Banfield will face Internacional of Porto Alegre in the only matchup of Argentina vs. Brazil in the Round of 16.
PERUVIAN SIDES SURPRISE THEIR WAY INTO ROUND OF 16
The biggest surprise of this year's tournament has to be the advancement of 2 Peruvian teams to the Round of 16. Its the most representatives Perú has had in the knockout stage since 1995 when Sporting Cristal and Alianza Lima made the Round of 16. Alianza Lima enters this year's Round of 16 as the #9 seed after finishing 2nd in Group 3, one point behind defending champions Estudiantes. Alianza Lima will face #8 seed, Universidad De Chile.
Universitario is Perú's other representative in the Round of 16 as they advanced as the 2nd placed team from Group 4. La U de Perú has a tough task ahead as the #15 seed because they will face #2 São Paulo in a clash of the best defenses from the group stage. One of these sides is trying to break a 13-year drought of Peruvian teams reaching the final when Sporting Cristal lost to Cruzeiro in 1997.
SEMIFINALS TO TAKE PLACE AFTER WORLD CUP
After the quarterfinals are completed the final 4 teams will have to wait until after the World Cup to finish their quest to be South American champions. A smart move by CONCACAF especially since the South American sides are strong candidates to make a deep run in South Africa. The 1st leg of the Copa Lib semis are scheduled for July 27th and the 2nd leg set for August 5th.
Here is the 2010 Copa Libertadores Knockout Stage Bracket:
One of Brazil's most popular teams is throwing the kitchen sink at the world market as Corinthians celebrate their 100th anniversary. Nike is giving them one of the most elegant kits out there and to put the cherry on top, Corinthians presented their elegant third kit.
The purple and black color combination is extremely elegant and add the cross and it does bring back memories of the Inter jersey that was used a few seasons ago as they, too, celebrated their centenary.
The jersey is a combination of two alternate color combination kits that have been used by O Timão inrecent season after they returned to the top flight of Brazilian football.
The new third kit has a cross that is used in a template similar than that one that Boca used a few weeks ago as the released their 105th anniversary kit.
The touch of class is added by the gold trim around the cross as well as in this year's crest. The gold lettering of Bozzano on the left sleeve does not take anything away from the jersey, on the contrary it adds a little bit of spice in a sleeve that really has little going on.
The cross has a more elaborate design than the Inter jersey and it offers a great deal to the design, adding elegance everywhere.
If there is one thing that you could criticize about the jersey is the insertion of the NeoQuimica sponsor logo in gold that drowns out the cross effect in the jersey, which is what makes the jersey stand out in the first place.
So where you are a fan of Brazilian ball or not, Corinthians has captured the imagination of a footballing nation as they go for the one big trophy that is missing in their incredible collection of silverware.
Between the acquisitions and the build up to the Libertadores being advertised for well over a year, one thing is for sure, they will look really good in the fight.
The ¨Black Beast¨ as they are known in Chile established a legacy of persistency back in 1997 as they became the Copa Libertadores team with the most losses to have ever won the title. Three losses to start out the tournament would have ruled almost any team out the getting past the group stages.
All in all, they played from behind a good amount of the time yet there was enough intestinal fortitude to come back and end up ahead. They also endured a coaching change that was in many books the catalyst for their amazing turnaround. Paulo Autuori was given his walking papers mid-season and Brazilian international Oscar Bernardi. Bernardi woul help reload the team with important players like Palhinha and Elivélton, two players who were important pieces to the São Paulo dynasty a back in the early 90´s when they dominated the world football scene. Defender Wilson Gottardo and forward Marcelo would energize the boys from Belo Horizonte and the story would slowly be told. These players would mesh well with players like Brazilian international Mauro Galvão, Ricardinho, Donizete, and a young goalkeeper who would become the backstop for some very important teams at AC Milan- Dida.
They earned a spot to the final where they would face Peru´s Sporting Cristal. The Peruvians were the first team from that country to reach the finals of the premiere club tournament in the western hemisphere in 25 years. They were also the surprise team of the tournament after eliminating Racing Club, and former champs Vélez Sarsfield along the way. The side coached by Sergio Markarían had some incredibly talented young stars that would eventually make names for themselves in the game as was the case with Nolberto Solano, Flavio Maestri, and Roberto Palacios. They happened to have locked horns in group play when Sporting beat Cruzeiro in Lima 1-0 and the Brazilians returned the favor 2-1, thus allowing the Brazilians to qualify. In the away leg of the final both sides played to a scoreless draw in Lima. In the return leg the Raposa would end up on top with a goal by Elivélton.
Road to the Title
Group Stage 19/02/97 Cruzeiro 1 (Aílton), Gremio 2 (Zé Alcino y Emerson) 25/02/97 Alianza Lima 1 (Waldir Saenz), Cruzeiro 0 28/02/97 Sporting Cristal 1 (Julinho), Cruzeiro 0 12/03/97 Gremio 0, Cruzeiro 1 (Palinha) 18/03/97 Cruzeiro 2 (Reinaldo y Palinha), Alianza Lima 0 11/04/97 Cruzeiro 2 (Alex y Reinaldo), Sporting Cristal 1 (Manuel Marengo)
Second Round 07/05/97 El Nacional 1 (Kléver Chalá), Cruzeiro 0 14/05/97 Cruzeiro 2 (Marcelo 2), El Nacional 1 (Joffre Arroyo) CRU win in PKs 5-3
Quarters 27/05/97 Cruzeiro 2 (Elivelton y Alex), Gremio 0 03/06/97 Gremio 2 (Mauro Galvao y Ze Alcino), Cruzeiro 1 (Fabinho)
Despite concerns from Cruzeiro officials about the H1N1 outbreak in Argentina, the 1st leg of the Copa Libertadores final went off as scheduled. The atmosphere was intense at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata as Estudiantes La Plata hosted Cruzeiro.
The two teams were in Group 5 of the group stage of the tournament. The Brazilians won the group, as they defeated Estudiantes 3-0 at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte in their 1st game. Estudiantes won the 2nd meeting 4-0 at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata. Despite all the goals in their previous matches in the group stage, with a trophy on the line, the two teams played to a 0-0 scoreline in the 1st leg of the 50th Copa Libertadores final.
After the smoke cleared from the opening pyrotechnics and flares from an excited crowd, the teams could get down to the business of trying to put their name on the Libertadores trophy. The match was a tight affair featuring an attack-minded home Estudiantes side and a calm defensive-minded visiting Cruzeiro team.
The Argentinians came out firing but were constantly denied by Cruzeiro captain, goalkeeper Fabio. In the 12th minute, Fabio saved a bending free kick by Estudiantes captain Juan Sebastián Verón. 5 minutes later, Fabio came up big again when Estudiantes forward Enzo Pérez broke into the box down the right side and blasted a shot that Fabio deflected over the bar. Just before half-time Verón volleyed a shot from 5 meters outside the box that was saved again by Fabio.
In the 2nd half, Fabio came to the rescue again saving back to back excellent opportunities by Estudiantes. Mauro Boselli was on the receiving end of an excellent through ball but his shot was denied by Fabio. The subsequent corner kick was headed by Estudiantes defender Leandro Desábato but Fabio's diving save kept the Estudiantes faithful from celebrating.
Cruzeiro mounted some pressure on the Estudiantes goal the last 25 minutes of the game with the best opportunity coming in the 80th minute when Cruzeiro's #10 Wagner sent in a bending ball from the left side that Estudiantes' keeper Mariano Andujar poorly judged and knocked right to Kléber who had a wide open goal in front of him as he stood just outside the 6 meter box. Kléber missed as Cruzeiro's chance at an important away goal and victory flew wide of the net.
By the time Uruguayan referee, Jorge Larrionda blew the final whistle neither side had scored and 0-0 would be the final result of the 1st leg. It was a scrappy and physical affair with 7 yellow cards and 2 bloodied Estudiantes players. The winner of 50th Copa Libertadores de América will be determined on Wednesday, July 15 in Brazil in Belo Horizonte at Cruzeiro's home ground of Estadio Mineirão.
The final of the 50th Anniversary of the Copa Libertadores is set. It will feature a club match up of Brazil vs. Argentina. The continent wanted to see a Brazil-Argentina final with Sao Paulo FC vs. CA Boca Juniors as the two marquee names. However, 30+ clubs had a different idea and the Sao Paulo-Boca Juniors did not materialize. Instead the 50th Copa Libertadores final will feature:
Cruzeiro vs. Estudiantes-La Plata
On Wednesday, Estudiantes de La Plata secured their place in the 2009 Copa Libertadores final with a 2-1 win in Montevideo in the 2nd leg of their semifinal encounter with Uruguay's Nacional. The scoreline gave Estudiantes a 3-1 aggregate victory. Ex-Boca Juniors forward Mauro Boselli scored twice in the 2nd half to seal the Argentine side's place in the final. The result was a bit of revenge for Estudiantes because in 1971, Nacional of Uruguay defeated Estudiantes in the Libertadores final and prevented El Pincha from winning a 4th consecutive Libertadores title. This will be Estudiantes 5th appearance in a Libertadores final and their 1st since the run of 4 straight appearances that ended in 1971.
2nd Leg = Nacional (URU) 1 - 2 Estudiantes LP (ARG) NAC: Alexander Medina (77') EST: Mauro Boselli (53' & 90'+1') Estudiantes advances to final, 3-1 on aggregate.
On Thursday night, the Olímpico Monumental was electric as Grêmio looked to overcome a 3-1 1st leg deficit against Cruzeiro in their semifinal encounter. However, Cruzeiro wasn't having it as Wellington Paulista scored twice in 2 minutes in the 35th & 37th minutes to end Grêmio's title hopes. Two late goals by the Tricolor Gaucho couldn't stop Cruzeiro from advancing. The 2-2 scoreline in the 2nd leg gave Cruzeiro the 5-3 aggregate victory. The Belo Horizonte side will play in its 4th ever Libertadores final. Cruzeiro is looking for their 3rd Libertadores title, a mark that would equal São Paulo FC for the most Libertadores titles by a Brazilian club. Cruzeiro last lifted the trophy in 1997 and is the 5th different Brazilian club to reach the final in the last 5 years.
2nd leg = Grêmio (BRA) 2 - 2 Cruzeiro (BRA) GRE: Réver (55') & Souza (75') CRZ: Wellington Paulista (35' & 37') Cruzeiro advances to final, 5-3 on aggregate.
The 1st leg of the final will be held on Wednesday, July 8th in La Plata at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata. The 2nd leg will take place a week later in Belo Horizonte at Estadio Mineirão.
It's been 38 years since a group of players changed the way the game was played. 39 years since Osvaldo Juan Zubeldía took Estudiantes to the peak of continental glory for the last time. It was a wonderful time to be a fan of El Pincha. During a four-year period Estudiantes and Copa Libertadores finals walked hand-in-hand. Former Argentine international Carlos Bilardo (the same Bilardo that would lead Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986) said something that irritated his bitter rivals a great deal back then. "We are Gimnasia's rivals. They aren't ours anymore. Our rivals are teams like Manchester United, AC Milan, and Feyenoord". I don't consider it arrogance. It was more like swagger and Estudiantes had it.
Zubeldía led a group of disciplined as well as talented players that were tactically loyal to what their coach told them. This along with a heavy dose of mental toughness, and a dash of talent made them the most important team in South American football of the late 60's and early 70's. Zubledía became the most influential coach in South American football and brought to life concepts that we consider so simple such as the ability to attack the near post on a set play. His side became the team by playing the role of giant-killer in 1968 when they got past defending former champs Independiente, Peñarol, defending champ Racing Club, and Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras in the finals. The following year they would defeat Uruguayan giant Nacional and then would complete the trifecta toppling Peñarol.
If there was a negative to the legacy of the Estudiantes teams of this era was the simple fact that Brazilian teams were not taking part in the tournament due to a discrepancy in the way the tournament was being organized in '69 and '70. It was a big absence as teams like Santos, Botafogo, Flamengo, Vasco Da Gama, and a host of other Brazilian powerhouses were missing from the international fray. But there was no doubt that Estudiantes was the best team out there regardless of who was placed in front of them.
Players like Juan Ramón Verón, Carlos Bilardo, and Raúl Madero were the nucleus of this team and they forever established a style of play at the club. All of them gave the team that mix of toughness, smarts, and flat out brilliance that they needed in order to become such a successful side.
Now almost four decades later Juan Ramón's son, Juan Sebastián, is leading the same team that he grew up living and dying with to yet another Libertadores final against another Brazilian powerhouse.
Estudiantes vs. Manchester United- 1968 Intercontinental Final First Leg
Estudiantes vs. Feyenoord- 1970 Intercontinental First Leg
There are 4 teams left vying for the title of "Campeon De América."The 1st leg of the 2009 Copa Libertadores semifinals are in the books and after these matches its setting up to be a Brazil vs. Argentina final.
Wednesday featured an attacking all-Brazilian semifinal as Cruzeiro faced Grêmio at the Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. Cruzeiro continued its tremendous home form in the tournament with a big 3-1 advantage against the Tricolor Gaucho. Cruzeiro defender Gustavo scored his 1st goal of the tournament and helped hold Grêmio's high scoring duo of Maxi Lopez and Souza in check for most of the night until the 79th minute. Souza scored on a bending free kick to give Tricolor Gaucho an important road goal. Souza's 5th goal of the tournament tied him with Estudiantes' Mauro Boselli as the top goal scorers remaining in the Libertadores.
Thursday's match was a hard-grinding affair between Argentina's Estudiantes La Plata and Uruguay's Nacional. The scene in La Plata at Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi was intense and electric at the kickoff. That energy was turned up about 100 times more after Diego Galván's brave diving header in the 14th minute gave Estudiantes the 1-0 advantage. Galván's goal came from a quick start free kick in Estudiantes' defensive half that found midfielder Leandro Benítez on the right side. From there Benítez sent in a well-placed cross to the diving head of Galván who beat a diving Nacional keeper Rodrigo Muñoz to the ball.
The 2nd leg of Estudiantes vs. Nacional will take place in Montevideo at Estadio Centenario on July 1st and the 2nd leg of Cruzeiro vs. Grêmio will take place in Porto Alegre on July 2nd at Olimpico Monumental.
Here are the results from the 1st leg of Libertadores semis:
After almost a month off due to World Cup qualifiers and domestic tournaments, the Western Hemisphere's most prestigious club tournament resumed with the 2nd leg of the quarterfinals. The final four teams have been determined as we get closer to knowing what team will be crowned "Campeon de América"
Wednesday's matches were a pair of scoreless matches that saw the home team in the 2nd leg advance. In Porto Alegre, Grêmio were the most aggressive side and even though they didn't score, Tricolor managed to minimize Caracas' goal attempts and advanced on away goals. The other scoreless draw took place in Montevideo where Nacional eliminated Palmeiras at the Estadio Centenario on the away goals rule. Nacional's place in the final 4 is the 1st time since Danubio in 1989 that a Uruguayan side has reached the semifinals.
Thursday's matches did see goals scored as another Uruguayan tried to make the semis. Defensor Sporting trailed 1-0 going into La Plata against Estudiantes and left the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirsch eliminated from the tournament 2-0 on aggregate. Leandro Benítez's 14th minute goal gave Estudiantes the pass to the semis and ended Defensor's cinderella Libertadores run. This is the deepest Libertadores run for Estudiantes since 1983 when they were eliminated in the 2nd group phase of the tournament.
The other match on Thursday saw Brazil's most decorated Libertadores club ousted. São Paulo were beaten 2-0 at home in the Morumbi by Cruzeiro. Tricolor Paulista were eliminated 4-1 on aggregate as they were done in by two 2nd half goals and 2 red cards. Henrique scored a powerful, bending GOLAZO in the 67th minute and Kleber finished off São Paulo with a PK in the 82nd after Andre Dias' handball in the box. São Paulo received 1 red card in each half to seal their elimination. São Paulo sacked coach Muricy Ramalho as a result of this defeat.
Here are the results from the 2nd leg and semifinal matchups:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17th
Grêmio(BRA) 0 - 0 FC Caracas (VEN) Aggregate: 1-1, Grêmio advances on away goals
Nacional (URU) 0 - 0 Palmeiras (BRA) Aggregate: 1-1, Nacional advances on away goals
Somewhere up in that Parque Central up in the sky my wife's grandmother is smiling. I remember when I was courting my beautiful wife I tried to earn brownie points and got burned for it. "Grandma, you look like a Peñarol fan."
Suddenly her Jedi powers took effect. "Peñarol! You must not like yourself too much!" I felt like someone grabbed my throat and put me to the wall. Old ladies and Jedi powers. Yep. Who knew 87-year-old ladies had them. On Wednesday she smile from above as Nacional reaches the semis of the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 21 years. A road goal against Brazilian side Palmeiras was all they needed to earn a seat amongst the greats of South America once again.
The 1988 team came into this tournament as an underdog with an overhaul, similar to its 2009 counterpart. Hugo De León was the only survivor of the club's second Copa Lib title against the mighty Internacional side back in 1980. De León was coming back from being abroad for well over a decade. He was a journeyman that played for clubs like Gremio, Corinthians, and Santos s well as Spanish side Logroñés. Roberto Fleitas would come take over a club that would not have many big name players, yet they would become one of the most dominant teams in South America. One of the most recognized names would be that of central defender Santiago Ostolaza. The mainstay of the Uruguayan side that won the Panamerican gold in Caracas in 1983 was a young defender domestically, but would become the anchor of this ragged bunch of no names that had some big shoes to fill- equalling what their hated rivals did the year before.
Not even the legendary beauty of the Calean women and the intimidating tactics of the América fans could distract the team from their ultimate destiny.
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Part 2
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Part 4
That squad from 1988 was among one of the most historic and succssful in the 110-year history of the club. They won the Copa Libertadores by beating Argentine side Newell's Old Boys 3-0 at the mythical Estadio Centenario. They would also become the first team in history to win three Intercontinental Cups without losing. That feat would be equalled in 2005 when São Paulo would do that in World Club Cup final against Liverpool. Nacional would also win the Recopa as well as the Interamerican Cup.
With that stretch players like De León re-established themselves. De León as well as Ostolaza and Felipe Revelez were selected for national team duty and ended up on Oscar Washington Tabárez side in Italy 1990 which went through to the second round on a last-gasp goal by then-Cagliari man Daniel Fonseca. Fonseca was part of the Recopa side that won the title for Nacional in 1988. Players like Jorge Cardaccio, Yubert Lemos, Ernesto Vargas began household names as well as great players at the domestic level. Nacional's Road To The Title
Second RoundLlave 1 07/09/88: Universidad Católica 1-1 Nacional 1 (Revelez) UCH: Espinosa NAC: Revelez
14/09/88: Nacional 0, Universidad Católica 0 NAC adv. on away goals Third Round 22/09/88: Newell's 1 (Pautasso), Nacional 1 (J. C. De Lima) NOB: Pautasso NAC: De Lima
28/09/88: Nacional 2-1 (Cardaccio e/c) NAC: Ostolaza, Lemos NOB: Cardaccio (og) Qualified Team: Nacional (Newell's would advance as best loser)
Semifinals 05/10/88: Nacional 1-0 América NAC: Lemos
12/10/88: América 1-1 Nacional AME: D'Avila NAC: De Lima Finals 19/10/88: Newell's Old Boys 1-0 Nacional NOB: Gabrich
26/10/88: Nacional 3-0 Newell's Old Boys NAC: Vargas, Ostolaza*, De León* *Goals in aet
