| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | March 18 – November 23 |
| Teams | 21 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Flamengo (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Cobreloa |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 77 |
| Goals scored | 221 (2.87 per match) |
| Top scorer | Zico (11 goals) |
←1980 1982 → | |
The1981 Copa Libertadores was won byFlamengo of Brazil, who beatCobreloa of Chile in the finals, without losing a match in their campaign on the way to win their first title.[1][2][3]
The champions and runners-up of each football association were drawn into the same group along with another football association's participating teams. Three clubs from Uruguay competed asNacional was champion of the1980 Copa Libertadores. They entered the tournament in the Semifinals.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  CALI |  RIV | CEN | JUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deportivo Cali | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 8 | Qualified to theSemi-Finals | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | River Plate | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 7 | 1–2 | — | 3–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Rosario Central | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 6 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 5–0 | ||
| 4 | Junior | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  PEÑ | BVI |  EST | POR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 11 | Qualified to theSemi-Finals | — | 3–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Bella Vista | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 9 | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | Estudiantes de Mérida | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 | 0–2 | 1–4 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Portuguesa | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 2 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FLA | CAM |  CER | OLI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flamengo(A, O) | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 8 | Qualified to theSemi-Finals | — | 2–2 | 5–2 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Atlético Mineiro(A) | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 8 | 2–2 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Cerro Porteño | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 4 | 2–4 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 4 | Olimpia | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | — |
vFlamengo| 3 July 1981 | Atletico Mineiro | 2–2 | Flamengo | Mineirão,Belo Horizonte |
Éder 28',63' | Nunes 65' Marinho 85' | Attendance: 63,153 Referee: José Roberto Wright (Brazil) |
vCerro Porteño| 14 July 1981 | Flamengo | 5–2 | Cerro Porteño | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Zico 20',27' Baroninho 47'Nunes 62',62' | Jimenes 62' Julio Dos Santos 90' | Attendance: 25,967 Referee: Carlos Montalvan (Brazil) |
vAtletico Mineiro| 17 July 1981 | Olimpia | 0–0 | Atletico Mineiro | Estadio Defensores del Chaco,Asunción |
vAtletico Mineiro| 21 July 1981 | Cerro Porteño | 0–1 | Atletico Mineiro | Estadio Defensores del Chaco,Asunción |
vOlimpia| 24 July 1981 | Flamengo | 1–1 | Olimpia | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Adilio 22' | Solalinde 60' | Attendance: 38,718 Referee: Abel Gnecco |
vOlimpia| 28 July 1981 | Atletico Mineiro | 1–0 | Olimpia | Mineirão,Belo Horizonte |
vAtletico Mineiro| 7 August 1981 | Flamengo | 2–2 | Atletico Mineiro | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Nunes 67' Tita 69' | Palhinha 62' Reinaldo 69' | Attendance: 62,763 Referee: Carlos Rosa Martins |
vCerro Porteño| 8 August 1981 | Olimpia | 0–3 | Cerro Porteño | Estadio Defensores del Chaco,Asunción |
vFlamengo| 11 August 1981 | Cerro Porteño | 2–4 | Flamengo | Estadio Defensores del Chaco,Asunción |
| Acost 69' Jimenes 72' | Baroninho 7' Zico 58',65',70' | Attendance: 13,000 Referee: Roque Cerullo |
vFlamengo| 14 August 1981 | Olimpia | 0–0 | Flamengo | Estadio Defensores del Chaco,Asunción |
| Attendance: 25,000 Referee: José Martizez Bazan |
vAtlético Mineiro| First-place playoff match 21 August 1981 | Flamengo | 0-0 | Atlético Mineiro | Estádio Serra Dourada,Goiânia |
| Attendance: 72,000 Referee:José Roberto Wright | ||||
| Note: The match was suspended at 37 minutes of the first half, after 5 players ofAtlético Mineiro received red cards. By association football rules a team is disqualified if it has fewer than 7 players. Therefore Flamengo won by WO. | ||||
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  STR | WIL |  BAR | TEC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Strongest | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 8 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | ||
| 2 | Jorge Wilstermann | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | Qualified to theSemi-Finals | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2–1 | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Técnico Universitário | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 4–1 | — |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| The Strongest | 1–4 | Jorge Wilstermann |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COB |  SPC | UCH | TOR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cobreloa | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 9 | Qualified to theSemi-Finals | — | 6–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | |
| 2 | Sporting Cristal | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 8 | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Universidad de Chile | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 6 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Atlético Torino | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 16 | −11 | 1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FLA | CAL | JOR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flamengo | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 8 | Qualified to theFinal | — | 3–0 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Deportivo Cali | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Jorge Wilstermann | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
vFlamengo| 2 October 1981 | Deportivo Cali | 0–1 | Flamengo | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero,Cali |
| Nunes 1' | Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Mário Lira |
vFlamengo| 13 October 1981 | Jorge Wilstermann | 1–2 | Flamengo | Estadio Félix Capriles,Cochabamba |
| Melgar 53' | Baroninho 13' Adilio 64' | Referee: Enrique Labo |
vJorge Wilstermann| 16 October 1981 | Deportivo Cali | 1–0 | Jorge Wilstermann | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero,Cali |
vDeportivo Cali| 23 October 1981 | Flamengo | 3–0 | Deportivo Cali | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Zico 9',82' Chiquinho Carioca 57' | Attendance: 28,847 Referee: Juan Cardelino |
vDeportivo Cali| 27 October 1981 | Jorge Wilstermann | 1–1 | Deportivo Cali | Estadio Félix Capriles,Cochabamba |
vJorge Wilstermann| 30 October 1981 | Flamengo | 4–1 | Jorge Wilstermann | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Nunes 9' Adilio 39'Anselmo 87'Chiquinho Carioca 90' | Tarborga 2' | Attendance: 7,520 Referee: Jorge Orellana |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COB | NAC | PEÑ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cobreloa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 | Qualified to theFinal | — | 2–2 | 4–2 | |
| 2 | Nacional | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 3 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Peñarol | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — |
vNacional| 30 September 1981 | Peñarol | 1–1 | Nacional | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo |
| Vargas 77' | de la Peña 44' |
vCobreloa| 8 October 1981 | Nacional | 1–2 | Cobreloa | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo |
| Morales 49' | Puebla 62' Olivera 83' |
vCobreloa| 13 October 1981 | Peñarol | 0–1 | Cobreloa | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo |
| Olivera 89' |
vPeñarol| 21 October 1981 | Nacional | 1–1 | Peñarol | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo |
| Espárrago 73' | Marcenaro 89' |
vPeñarol| 28 October 1981 | Cobreloa | 4–2 | Peñarol | Estadio Municipal,Calama |
| Raúl Gómez 1' Víctor Merello 30' 66' (P.K.)Oscar Muñoz 68' | Paz 70' (P.K.) Vargas 88' |
vNacional| 4 November 1981 | Cobreloa | 2–2 | Nacional | Estadio Municipal,Calama |
| Oscar Muñoz 67' Luzardo 73' (o.g.) | Cabrera 39' Luzardo 90' (P.K.) |
vCobreloa| 13 November 1981 | Flamengo | 2–1 | Cobreloa | Maracanã,Rio de Janeiro |
| Zico 12',30' (pen.) | Merello 65' | Attendance: 93,985 Referee: Esposito (Argentina) |
vFlamengo| 20 November 1981 | Cobreloa | 1–0 | Flamengo | Estadio Nacional,Santiago |
| Merello 84' | Attendance: 61,721 Referee: Ramón Barreto (Uruguay) |
vCobreloa| 23 November 1981 | Flamengo | 2–0 (4–2agg.) | Cobreloa | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo |
| Zico 18',84' | Attendance: 30,200 Referee: Roque Cerullo (Uruguay) |
