1981 Copa Libertadores Final vs Cobreloa
Flamengo beat Cobreloa in a playoff in Montevideo to win their first Copa Libertadores.
The 1981 Copa Libertadores finals were a two-legged tie between Flamengo of Brazil and Cobreloa of Chile. The first leg was played at Flamengo's home ground on 13 November 1981 and the second at Cobreloa's on 20 November. The legs left the teams level on points, so a playoff was held at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, which Flamengo won 2–0 to take their first Copa Libertadores title.
Quick Facts
- Competition
- 1981 Copa Libertadores
- Opponent
- Cobreloa (Chile)
- First leg
- 13 November 1981, Flamengo home
- Second leg
- 20 November 1981, Cobreloa home
- Playoff
- Flamengo 2–0 Cobreloa
- Estadio Centenario
- Montevideo
- Significance
- First Copa Libertadores title
Lore & Background
Under the rules of the final, a win was worth two points and a draw one; if the teams were level on points after two legs, a playoff at a neutral venue decided the title, with goal difference only as a last resort. Flamengo reached the final without losing a match in the whole campaign.
Reader's Guide
The finals were decided on points, not aggregate goals: after one leg in Rio and one in Chile the teams stood level, and the neutral playoff in Montevideo settled it. The win was Flamengo's first continental title.
Zico scored both goals in a 2–1 first-leg win at the Maracanã. In the second leg in Santiago, Flamengo met a violent reception and lost 1–0 to a free kick; Adílio and Lico were cut by a rock that Cobreloa defender Mario Soto had brought onto the pitch. In the playoff at the Estadio Centenario Zico scored twice in the first half, and four players were sent off. Flamengo were crowned champions of South America on 23 November 1981.
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