Grand final day for football fans, and especially those who like to write it “futbol” or “futebol”. This Saturday evening, at 9 p.m. French time (5 p.m. in Brazil), the final of the 64th edition of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, will be played in the legendary Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.
This final will see, as is often the case, an Argentinian club on one side (Boca Juniors) and a Brazilian club on the other (Fluminense) clash. A tantalizing match between two of the most renowned teams on the continent, with some great names on both sides. On the Brazilian side, we find in particular two veterans of genius with the legend of Real Madrid and the Seleçao Marcelo and the Argentine goleador German Cano, top scorer in the competition. On the Boca side, a handful of names well known to followers of European football: Dario Benedetto, Marcos Rojo, Sergio Romero and the former top scorer in the history of PSG, Edinson Cavani.
Boca much more experienced
The Uruguayan also scored one of his only goals in the Boca jersey during the semi-final return of the Libertadores against Palmeiras (1-1) and he carries the hopes of the people of Boca to win the major title of South American football for the 7th time in the club’s history in 12 finals. Fluminense, which never did better than a silver medal in 2008, is playing only the 2nd final in its history.
However, he competes at home, on his home ground at the Maracanã in Rio. And this has been felt in recent days, with a chaotic atmosphere in the city between the “torcidas” of Fluminense and the “hinchas” of Boca. On Friday, images of the excesses that occurred at Copacabana, with a real ambush set by Brazilian supporters on their Argentine counterparts near a fan zone, went around the world.
In one of the largest and most legendary stadiums in the world, with a match that smacks of rivalry and football, it’s a safe bet that this poster, broadcast unencrypted in France on the L’Equipe Channel, will hold up its share of promises.
