Liga Deportiva Universitaria (LDU) from Quito, Ecuador, is the new champion of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious South American club tournament, only equaled in importance by the UEFA Champions League.

The final match of the two-legged tie was played on the evening of July 2 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. LDU´s opponent were Fluminense, one of the city’s most popular clubs. There was a fever-pitch atmosphere at the Maracana since LDU had never before won the Libertadores.

Fluminense had to win by a three-goal margin to become champions as LDU had a 4-2 lead after the first leg. Before the match the Fluminense players had declared to the local press that they would come out and put continuous pressure on LDU from the first minute. However, in front of 80,000 spectators, LDU got off to a great start as Luis Bolaños scored a fifth-minute opener to make it 5-2 on aggregate.

The goal was quite lucky since a Fluminense defender turned his back on the shot and allowed the ball to go between his legs. This confused the keeper who could do nothing to stop the ball flying in.

But, just as the local crowd began to fear the worst, Thiago Neves fired home an equaliser in the 12th minute with a low long-range shot past LDU goalkeeper Jose Ceballos. Eventually these two players would become the villain and hero of the night at the end of the match.

An inspired Neves scored a second - and then completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute to tie the aggregate score at 5-5. It meant a further 30 minutes of extra time. A legitimate goal by Claudio Bieler in the 116th minute could have given LDU victory but it was disallowed by a linesman for offside.