 Estudiantes de La Plata, champions | |||||||
| Event | 1968 Copa Libertadores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 2–2 onpoints Estudiantes won after aplay-off | |||||||
| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 2 May 1968 | ||||||
| Venue | Estudiantes,La Plata | ||||||
| Referee | Esteban Marino (Uruguay) | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 7 May 1968 | ||||||
| Venue | Pacaembu,São Paulo | ||||||
| Referee | Domingo Massaro (Chile) | ||||||
| Play-off | |||||||
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| Date | 16 May 1968 (1968-05-16) | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Centenario,Montevideo | ||||||
| Referee | César Orozco (Peru) | ||||||
| Attendance | 55,000 | ||||||
←1967 1969 → | |||||||
The1968 Copa Libertadores finals was the final two-legged tie to determine the1968 Copa Libertadores champion.[1] It was contested byArgentine clubEstudiantes de La Plata and Brazilian clubPalmeiras. The first leg of the tie was played on 2 May at Estudiantes' home field, with the second leg played on 7 May at Palmeiras'. Estudiantes and Palmeiras played in their 1st and 2nd Copa Libertadores finals, respectively. Palmeiras last appearance was in1961, in which they were beaten by defending championsPeñarol. Estudiantes was appearing in their first ever final ever.[2]
Estudiantes won the series after winning a tie-breaking playoff 2-0 atMontevideo'sEstadio Centenario.[3]
| Team | Previous finals appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
 Estudiantes (LP) | None |
 Palmeiras | 1961 |
The finals will be played over two legs; home and away. The team that accumulates the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs will be crowned the champion. Should the two teams be tied on points after the second leg a playoff was at a neutral venue will become the next tie-breaker. Goal difference is going to be used as a last resort.
Palmeiras qualified to the 1968 Copa Libertadores as the 1967Taça Brasil champions, defeatingNáutico 2-0 in a playoff played at theEstádio do Maracanã. This was Palmeiras' second title in the competition. Estudiantes qualified as runners-up of the1967 Torneo Nacional. The team did win the1967 Metropolitano after defeatingCopa Libertadores holdersRacing Club.
| Estudiantes | Round | Palmeiras | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Main article:1968 Copa Libertadores First round: Group 1
| First round | Main article:1968 Copa Libertadores First round: Group 5
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Main article:1968 Copa Libertadores Second round: Group A
| Second round | Main article:1968 Copa Libertadores Second round: Group C
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| Opponent | Result (on points) | Legs | Semifinals | Opponent | Result (on points) | Legs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racing | 2–2 (goal difference) | 3–0 home; 2–0 away 1–1 playoff |  Peñarol | 4–0 | 1–0 home; 1–2 away | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Estudiantes was drawn into Group 1 alongsideIndependiente, winners of the1964 and1965 editions of this tournament, and Colombian sidesDeportivo Cali andMillonarios. ThePincharatas surprisingly cruised to the second round, assuring qualification, with a match to spare, after a run of 4 consecutive victories and a tie. Estudiantes defeated Independiente 2-4 inAvellaneda and won 0-1 and 1-2 inColombia against Millonarios and Deportivo Cali, respectively. A 3-0 victory at home against Deportivo Cali was followed by a 0-0 draw vs Millonarios, which assured Estudiantes place into the second round. Estudiantes will beat Independiente 2-0 in their last match of this phase.
Palmeiras was drawn into Group 5. They were joined by fellow Brazilian clubNáutico and Venezuelan outfits Deportivo Portugués andDeportivo Galicia. Like Estudiatnes, Palmeiras started their campaign well with a 5-victory streak that assured them of a place in the second round, withTupãzinho,Ademir andServílio being key players for theVerdão (tying 0-0 in their last, meaningless match against Náutico). The first match saw Palmeiras win inRecife 1-3 against Náutico. Two 1-2 away victories against the Venezuelan teams was followed by 1-0 win over Deportivo Galicia and a 2-0 triumph over Deportivo Portugués.
The second round was another group phase. Estudiantes were drawn in Group A alongside Independiente andUniversitario. Universitario gave Estudiantes their first defeat in the tournament, 1-0, in Lima. However, Estudiantes came back strongly to win the rest of their matches. ThePincharatas defeated, once again, Independiente home and away (1-0 and 1-2, respectively) and secured their place in the Semifinals with a 1-0 triumph over Universitario. In Group C, Tupãzinho, Ademir and Servílio continued to shine as Palmeiras made their way into the last four of the competition. A 4-1 rout ofUniversidad Católica was followed by a disappointing 2-0 defeat toGuaraní. Two hard-earned wins, one 0-1 scoreline in Santiago against Universidad Católica and a 2-1 win at home vs Guaraní, was enough to get Palmeiras through.
In the Semifinals, Estudiantes played againstdefending championsRacing. The first leg was played inLa Plata. Estudiantes won the match 3−0 with goals fromRoberto Perfumo and a brace from the emerging figureJuan Ramón Verón. The second leg, played atAvellaneda, was won by Racing 2-0 with goals byHumberto Maschio andRubén Fucceneco. Since the series was tied on points (2-2 each), a playoff inBuenos Aires was contested; it ended in a 1-1 draw withJuan Carlos Cárdenas and Verón scoring for each of their clubs. Since the match finished in a tie, goal difference was taken into account and Estudiantes advanced to the finals.
Palmeiras' semifinal match-up was againstPeñarol, three-time winners of the Copa Libertadores, in a rematch of the1961 final which Peñarol won. This time, Palmeiras started out well winning the first leg, played at home in São Paulo, with a 1−0 with the goal coming from Tupãzinho. The second leg, played inMontevideo, ended with a 1-2 scoreline in favor of Palmeiras with a brace by Tupãzinho. Héctor Silva scored themanyas lone goal. With a point aggregate of 4-0, Palmeiras advanced to the finals.
| Estudiantes LP | 2–1 |  Palmeiras |
|---|---|---|
J.R. Verón 83'E. Flores 87' | Servilio 30' |
         Estudiantes LP |    Palmeiras |
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| Palmeiras | 3–1 | Estudiantes LP |
|---|---|---|
| Tupãzinho 10', 68' Rinaldo 54' | J.R. Verón 72' |
Palmeiras | Estudiantes LP |
|
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| Palmeiras | 0–2 | Estudiantes LP |
|---|---|---|
| Ribaudo 13' J.R. Verón 82' |
Palmeiras | Estudiantes LP |
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