POWER OF PENAROL
STEPHEN BRANDT REFLECTS ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE URUGUAYAN HEAVYWEIGHTS IN THE 1960S…
South American heavyweights
Peñarol are one of the great clubs in South America – and perhaps don’t get the recognition they deserve. They are from the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay and have always been one of the top clubs in the region.
In fact, they have the third most Copa Libertadores crowns to their name with five, and are tied for the most Intercontinental Cups with three.
They have also had some great players down the years, including the legendary Alberto Spencer, whom Pele rated very highly.
The 60s is when they really took flight. As mentioned, they have a storied record in the Copa Libertadores, winning the first two editions of the major club competition for South American sides.
Peñarol had a stellar side at the time, led by prolific striker Spencer. They were managed by former Peñarol right-back Roberto Scarone, who led the club to a treble of league titles (1959, 60, 61).
The Uruguayan league title success of 1960 earned them their passage into the inaugural Copa Libertadores of that year.
Peñarol progressed by dispatching Bolivian side Jorge Wilstermann 7-1 in the first leg at home and then drawing 1-1 in the return in Bolivia.
In the semi-finals, Peñarol drew 1-1 on aggregate with San Lorenzo of Argentina, which meant a play-off was needed to separate them.
This time, Spencer scored twice as Peñarol triumphed 2-1 in Montevideo.
Peñarol faced Paraguay’s Olimpia in the final.
In the first leg on June 12, 1960, Spencer scored the only goal of the game to give Peñarol a narrow advantage to take to Asuncion.
Seven days later, Olimpia’s Hipolito Recalde scored in the first half to level the tie on aggregate.
However, it was Peñarol who became the first-ever Copa Libertadores winners when Luis Cubilla scored seven minutes from the end to make it 1-1 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate.
That success took Peñarol into the Intercontinental Cup final against a topclass Real Madrid side that had Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano in their ranks.
After a 0-0 draw in Montevideo, Madrid romped to a 5-1 victory in the return in Spain.
With that defeat in Peñarol minds, they came back in the 1961 edition of the Libertadores with renewed vigour to be the best.
They dispatched Universitario of Lima 5-2 on aggregate before a rematch of the previous year’s final against Olimpia in the semi-finals.
This time, Peñarol enjoyed a more comfortable victory. They eased to a 5-2 victory over two legs.
In the final, they met Palmeiras. The Brazilian side had progressed by beating Argentina’s Independiente and Colombia’s Santa Fe.
The first leg was at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo where, like the year before, Spencer scored late in the match, this time in the 89th minute, to seal the win.
Seven days later at Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo, Jose Sasia stunned the expectant home crowd by giving Peñarol the lead in just the second minute.
The Brazilians drew level in the second half, but Peñarol had done enough to triumph 2-1 on aggregate and retain their crown.
It sent them back to the Intercontinental Cup final. This time, Peñarol weren’t fazed by the competition.
They met the European Cup winners Benfica, led by Eusebio and coached by Bela Guttmann.
In the first leg in Lisbon, Benfica edged it 1-0. However, it was a different story in the return in Montevideo as Peñarol romped to a 5-0 win with goals from Joya, Spencer (both two) and Sasia (pen).
It meant both sides had two points, so there had to be a play-off to decide the winners.
A couple of days later, the two clubs met again in Montevideo. Peñarol took an early lead through Sasia, but Eusebio equalised in the 35th minute. Then Sasia struck his second five minutes before the break to net what proved to be the winner. The final whistle blew and Peñarol were champions of the world!
This might have been the reason for Benfica’s manager Guttmann to take over the club the next year.
In 1962, Peñarol made it back to the Copa Libertadores final.
This time they ran into the next super club in South America, Brazilian giants Santos. This was the Santos side with Coutinho, Pepe, Gilmar, Zito, and Pele.
Santos won 2-1 in Uruguay in the first leg, but Peñarol turned the tables with a 3-2 victory in Brazil.
It meant a play-off was needed and this time Santos eased to a 3-0 victory in Argentina to take the crown, Pele scoring twice.
Peñarol had to play the role of bridesmaids again in 1965, going down 4-1 in a play-off against Argentina’s Indepen- diente in Chile after both sides had won once in the original two matches.
But it was back to the winner’s enclosure again the following year. Again a play-off in Chile was needed after Peñarol beat River Plate 2-0 at home, but lost the return 3-2 in Argentina.
The ever-reliable Spencer scored twice as Peñarol came from 2-0 down to beat River 4-2 after extra-time. Julio Abbadie and Pedro Rocha also scored for the Uruguayans.
It gave them another shot at the Intercontinental Cup.
This time, the match was against Real Madrid.
Unlike the first time the two clubs met, Peñarol made sure they weren’t overwhelmed by their opponents.
Spencer scored a double in the first leg as Peñarol won 2-0 and they repeated the feat in Spain in the return for an impressive 4-0 aggregate success.
Rocha scored from the spot to open the scoring before Spencer put the icing on the cake.
Ecuadorian-Uruguay footballer Spencer, who played for both countries, stayed with the club until 1970, and to this day he is still the leading scorer in the Copa Libertadores. He died in 2006 at the age of 68.
Peñarol, meanwhile, have added two further Copas (1982 and 87) to the three they claimed in their 1960s glory days and another Intercontinental Cup to their twin 60s triumphs. They beat Aston Villa 2-0 in Tokyo in 1982.