| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Argentina |
| Dates | 12 February – 4 June 2021 |
| Teams | 26 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Colón(1st title) |
| 2022 Copa Libertadores | Colón |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 176 |
| Goals scored | 431 (2.45 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Rafael Santos Borré Luis Miguel Rodríguez (8 goals each) |
The2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional was the second edition of theCopa de la Liga Profesional, anArgentine domestic cup. It began on 12 February and ended on 4 June 2021.
Due to the worsening of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, thePresident of Argentina suspended all the activities, including the Copa de la Liga Profesional, between 22 and 30 May 2021.[1] Therefore, the semi-finals and final of the tournament were rescheduled for 31 May and 4 June 2021, respectively.[2]
The competition was contested by the 26 teams that will take part in thePrimera División during the2021 season, including the two promoted teams from the2020 Primera Nacional (Sarmiento (J) andPlatense).[3]Boca Juniors were the defending champions but they were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Colón won their first top-flight professional title after they defeatedRacing 3–0 in the final. As champions, Colón qualified for the2022 Copa Libertadores.[4]
Vélez Sarsfield, top team of the Zone B, were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
For the group stage, the 26 teams were drawn into two groups of thirteen teams each, playing on a singleround-robin basis. Additionally, each team played one interzonal match against itsrival team in the other zone. In each group, the top four teams advanced to the quarter-finals. The final stages (quarter-finals, semi-finals and final) were played on a single-legged basis.[5]
The draw for the group stage was held on 3 February 2021, 19:00, at Hilton Hotel inBuenos Aires.[6] The 26 teams were drawn into two groups of thirteen containing one team from each of the interzonal matches.
| Team 1 | Team 2 |
|---|---|
In the group stage, each group was played on a singleround-robin basis. Additionally, each team played one interzonal match against its rival team in the other zone. Teams were ranked according to the following criteria: 1.Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss); 2.Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Head-to-head points; 5. Head-to-head goal difference; 6. Head-to-head goals scored; 7. Play off match; 8. Draw.[5][7]
The top four teams of each group advanced to the quarter-finals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colón | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 10 | +13 | 25 | Advance toQuarter-finals |
| 2 | Estudiantes (LP) | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 22 | |
| 3 | River Plate | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 21 | |
| 4 | Racing | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 21 | |
| 5 | San Lorenzo | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 21 | |
| 6 | Banfield | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 20 | |
| 7 | Argentinos Juniors | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 19 | |
| 8 | Rosario Central | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 18 | |
| 9 | Central Córdoba (SdE) | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 17 | |
| 10 | Godoy Cruz | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 15 | |
| 11 | Platense | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 19 | −7 | 14 | |
| 12 | Arsenal | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 23 | −12 | 12 | |
| 13 | Aldosivi | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 11 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vélez Sarsfield | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 31 | Advance toQuarter-finals |
| 2 | Boca Juniors | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 22 | |
| 3 | Independiente | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 20 | |
| 4 | Talleres (C) | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 20 | |
| 5 | Lanús | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 19 | |
| 6 | Unión | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 19 | |
| 7 | Atlético Tucumán | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 20 | +4 | 18 | |
| 8 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 15 | |
| 9 | Huracán | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 13 | |
| 10 | Patronato | 13 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 12 | |
| 11 | Defensa y Justicia | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 12 | |
| 12 | Sarmiento (J) | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 19 | −9 | 12 | |
| 13 | Newell's Old Boys | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 11 |
| Home \ Away | ALD | ARG | ARS | BAN | CCO | COL | EST | GOD | PLA | RAC | RIV | ROS | SLO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldosivi | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Argentinos Juniors | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Arsenal | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Banfield | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Central Córdoba (SdE) | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–5 | |||||||
| Colón | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | |||||||
| Estudiantes (LP) | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | |||||||
| Godoy Cruz | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–6 | |||||||
| Platense | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–4 | |||||||
| Racing | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |||||||
| River Plate | 4–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Rosario Central | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | |||||||
| San Lorenzo | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Home \ Away | ATU | BOC | DYJ | GLP | HUR | IND | LAN | NOB | PAT | SAR | TAL | UNI | VEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlético Tucumán | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | |||||||
| Boca Juniors | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Defensa y Justicia | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | |||||||
| Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–5 | |||||||
| Huracán | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |||||||
| Independiente | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 6–0 | |||||||
| Lanús | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Newell's Old Boys | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Patronato | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Sarmiento (J) | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | |||||||
| Talleres (C) | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Unión | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Vélez Sarsfield | 1–7 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 |
Source:AFA
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Starting from the quarter-finals, the teams played asingle-elimination tournament on a single-leg basis with the following rules:[5][7]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||
| Estudiantes (LP) | 0(1) | ||||||||||
| Independiente (p) | 0(4) | ||||||||||
| Independiente | 0 | ||||||||||
| Colón | 2 | ||||||||||
| Colón (p) | 1(5) | ||||||||||
| Talleres (C) | 1(3) | ||||||||||
| Colón | 3 | ||||||||||
| Racing | 0 | ||||||||||
| Vélez Sarsfield | 0(2) | ||||||||||
| Racing (p) | 0(4) | ||||||||||
| Racing (p) | 0(4) | ||||||||||
| Boca Juniors | 0(2) | ||||||||||
| Boca Juniors (p) | 1(4) | ||||||||||
| River Plate | 1(2) | ||||||||||
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Colón | 1–1 (5–3 p) | Talleres (C) |
| Vélez Sarsfield | 0–0 (2–4 p) | Racing |
| Estudiantes (LP) | 0–0 (1–4 p) | Independiente |
| Boca Juniors | 1–1 (4–2 p) | River Plate |
| Colón | 1–1 | Talleres (C) |
|---|---|---|
| Castro | Report | Fragapane |
| Penalties | ||
| Castro Aliendro Piovi Lértora Rodríguez | 5–3 | |
| Vélez Sarsfield | 0–0 | Racing |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| De los Santos Janson Galdames Cáseres | 2–4 | |
| Estudiantes (LP) | 0–0 | Independiente |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Cauteruccio Noguera L. Rodríguez | 1–4 | |
| Boca Juniors | 1–1 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Tevez | Report | Álvarez |
| Penalties | ||
| Tevez Villa Cardona Izquierdoz Buffarini | 4–2 | |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Independiente | 0–2 | Colón |
| Racing | 0–0 (4–2 p) | Boca Juniors |
| Racing | 0–0 | Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Rojas Melgarejo Chancalay F. Domínguez Copetti | 4–2 | |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Colón | 3–0 | Racing |
Source:AFA