group stage review
Brazilian and Argentine clubs once again dominate the continental competition
Six frenetic weeks of action in the group phase of the Copa Libertadores produced a very similar result to the last four years. In 2017 the competition was extended to last throughout the calendar year – and from that moment the domination of Brazil and Argentina has been all but complete.
The action will resume in mid-July with the first knockout round, where all but four of the last 16 teams will come from the continent’s big two. Only Santos failed to make the cut. They lost an all-Brazilian final back in January, but the team’s heroic battle against the club’s financial problems could not be sustained, and their poor campaign was not a surprise.
Truly shocking would have been the elimination of Argentine giants River Plate – but it very nearly happened. Over the seven-year reign of coach Marcelo Gallardo, River have been consistently strong in the Libertadores. But the loss of playmaker Ignacio Fernandez to Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro – a significant move – was a blow, and the team were not convincing at all, even at full strength. It was a real problem, then, when 20 players tested positive for coronavirus – especially as River had named a squad of 32, rejecting the offer to register 50 players to cover this very situation. With one injured, River were down to 11 for the visit of Santa Fe of Colombia in the penultimate round, and none of them were goalkeepers. Veteran midfielder Enzo Perez, carrying a muscle injury, went in goal and watched as Santa Fe buckled under the pressure, conceding two early goals and losing 2-1. River
rushed players back into action for the final game, at home to Fluminense of Brazil, but were beaten 3-1. It would have eliminated them had Junior beaten Santa Fe, who had nothing to play for, in the all-Colombian other match. But now it was Junior’s turn to self-destruct. They
could not break the deadlock and they, like all the Colombian teams, were eliminated.
It did not help their cause that they were unable to play some of their last matches at home. The wave of social unrest in Colombia – which forced the country to give up co-hosting the Copa America – meant that games were switched to other countries.
But there is a pattern here. Atletico Nacional won the trophy in 2016. Since then only one Colombian team has made it out of the group phase, when Nacional themselves went out in the 2018 round of 16. This was Colombia’s third consecutive wipeout. It was the eighth for Peru, and though Deportivo Tachira came very close, it was the fifth (and the 11th in 12 years) for Venezuela.
The 2021 Libertadores has also come to an early end for Uruguay and Bolivia. Indeed, Bolivia have also drawn a blank in the Copa Sudamericana, the Europa League equivalent. It is the only country for whom all international club competition came to a close before the end of May.
Gus Poyet’s Universidad Catolica shook off a poor start and stormed down the home straight to give Chile an interest in the knockout stages. And, as so often in recent years, Ecuador and Paraguay punched above their weight.
In the first knockout round, all but four of the last 16 teams will come from the continent’s big two
They were the only two countries, apart from Brazil and Argentina, whose clubs accumulated more wins than defeats.
The traditional Paraguayan duo of Olimpia and Cerro Porteno left it late, dramatically so in the case of Olimpia, but both booked their slots in the last 16. The pair from the Ecuadorian capital, Independiente del Valle and Liga of Quito (or LDU) had some good moments but finished third, and have to make do with a place in the Sudamericana. But Barcelona of Guayaquil qualified in style, topping a group that contained Boca Juniors as well as Santos.
More Brazilian and Argentine opponents await. In addition to Boca and River, Argentina have Velez Sarsfield, Defensa y Justicia, Racing and Argentinos Juniors, wielded into an interesting outfit by the former Barcelona and Argentina defender Gabriel Milito.
The Brazilian contingent is headed by the last two champions, Palmeiras and Flamengo, plus 2013 winners Atletico Mineiro, Sao Paulo, Internacional and Fluminense.
There were some big margin Brazilian wins, especially at home. In 42 games the Brazilian clubs accumulated 88 goals, compared with 50 by the Argentines in six fewer matches.
The lesson would seem to be clear. Distances have opened up in South American football. The big Brazilian clubs have the financial muscle to assemble deep squads, and are scouting around the continent better than ever before. And so far they have suffered less than the others from the rise of Major League Soccer, a destination for many South Americans. When the knockout rounds begin, unless a year of non-stop domestic football takes its toll, the Brazilians will be the favourites.