| Event | 2007 Copa Toyota Libertadores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| on aggregate | |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 13 June 2007 | ||||||
| Venue | La Bombonera,Buenos Aires | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Juan Román Riquelme | ||||||
| Referee | Jorge Larrionda | ||||||
| Attendance | 50,993 | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 20 June 2007 | ||||||
| Venue | Estádio Olímpico,Porto Alegre | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Juan Román Riquelme | ||||||
| Referee | Óscar Ruiz | ||||||
| Attendance | 53,952 | ||||||
←2006 2008 → | |||||||
The2007 Copa Libertadores finals was atwo-legged football match-up to determine the2007 Copa Libertadores champion. The series was contested between Argentine clubBoca Juniors and Brazilian clubGrêmio. The first leg of the tie was played on June 13 at Boca Juniors' home field,La Bombonera, with the second leg played on June 20 at Gremio'sEstádio Olímpico. Boca Juniors won the series 5–0 on aggregate,[1] achieving their sixth Copa Libertadores title.[2]
| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
 Boca Juniors | 1963,1977,1978,1979,2000,2001,2003,2004 |
 Grêmio | 1983,1984,1995 |
Bold indicates winning years
| Grêmio | Boca Juniors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo A 0–1 | Round of 16 First leg | Vélez Sársfield H 3–0 | Riquelme 9' Palermo 61' Rodríguez 89' | ||
| São Paulo H 2–0 | Tcheco 17' Diego Souza 74' | Second leg | Vélez Sársfield A 1–3 | Bustos (o.g.) 32' | |
 Defensor SportingA 0–2 | Quarterfinals First leg |  LibertadH 1–1 | Palermo 90' | ||
| Defensor Sporting H 2–0 (p. 4–2) | Tcheco 22' Teco 45' | Second leg | Libertad A 2–0 | Riquelme 61' Palacio | |
| Santos H 2–0 | Tcheco 34' Carlos Eduardo 36' | Semifinals First leg |  Cúcuta DeportivoA 1–3 | Ledesma 27' | |
| Santos A 1–3 | Diego Souza 34' | Second leg | Cúcuta Deportivo H 3–0 | Riquelme 44' Palermo 61' Battaglia 90' | |
         Boca Juniors |      Grêmio |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
| Grêmio | 0–2 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Riquelme 69',81' |
 Grêmio | Boca Juniors |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: |
With this appearance in the last stage Boca Juniors reached a record-equalling ninth final, winning on five of the eight previous occasions. At that point onlyPeñarol ofUruguay had played as many. The media praisedJuan Román Riquelme's performance in the finals, crediting him as Boca's most notable player. Riquelme had returned to Argentina after a frustrating experience at Spanish clubVillarreal where managerManuel Pellegrini excluded him from the senior squad due to personal disputes.[3] Under the guidance of managerMiguel Ángel Russo, Riquelme was the top scorer of the team (and second of the2007 edition behindSalvador Cabañas) with 8 goals in 11 matches, three of them in the finals.[4]
Riquelme made it easy to win the Copa Libertadores
— Sergio Orteman, Riquelme's teammate in 2007[4]
The (Libertadores) Cup is like the girl you want but she ignores you
— Miguel Ángel Russo, Boca Juniors manager[5]
The 5–0 aggregate score remains the largest victory in the history of Copa Libertadores finals.[5]
On the other hand, Grêmio – who had previously played three finals, winning two of them – moved up to second place among Brazilian clubs with most Copa Libertadores finals contested, behindSão Paulo with six.
