Ten-man Botafogo beats Atletico Mineiro to win maiden Copa Libertadores title

Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history with a 3-1 victory over fellow Brazilians Atletico Mineiro on Saturday.

Botafogo played almost the entire match with ten men after Gregore was sent off in the first minute but it showed impressive spirit and resilience to secure victory at River Plate’s Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.

It is the sixth straight season that a Brazilian club has won the Libertadores, the top competition for South American clubs.

The 120-year-old Botafogo, the Rio club which has won the Brazilian championship twice, has a rich history, including producing greats such as World Cup winners Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos and Mario Zagallo.

But they have long suffered taunts from their rivals about their failure to win the continental title — a jibe that can be made no more.

Midfielder Gregore was shown a red card after a wild, high challenge on Fauto Vera, forcing Botafogo to adjust their game plan, but Atletico failed to press home their numerical advantage.

Veteran forward Hulk had an effort from outside the box saved by John but the team from Belo Horizonte created little pressure.

Sensing the game might not be the rearguard action it might have expected, Botafogo began to show more attacking intent and it was rewarded in the 35th minute.

Marlon Freitas’s shot from the edge of the box ricocheted around a crowded box before the ball fell to Luiz Henrique, who fired home from close range.

To its credit, Botafogo didn’t retreat to defend its slim advantage and was able to double its lead in the 44th minute.

Atletico defender Guilherme Arana attempted to shepherd the ball back to goalkeeper Everson, but Luiz Henrique snuck between the pair and went down under challenge from the ‘keeper.

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After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded and Alex Telles confidently smashed home the spot kick to give Botafogo an unlikely 2-0 lead at the break.

Atletico, which won the Libertadores in 2013, made a triple substitution at the interval and it paid off swiftly with Eduardo Vargas heading in from a corner.

Inevitably, there was late pressure from Atletico, but Botafogo made sure of the victory when Junior Santos finished off a counter-attack deep in stoppage time.

With the win, Botafogo earns the final of 32 places in next year’s FIFA Club World Cup to be held in the United States.

Chance at a double

The club, owned by American businessman John Textor, also has a chance to complete a double by winning what would be its third Brazilian league title — it currently leads Serie A (Argentina) by three points with two games remaining.

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Luis Henrique, whose fine form this season has seen him break into the Brazil squad, said the win was an emotional one for him and the team.

“Many people tried to stop me, but I know that God is with me, my family is with me, and I have to keep my feet on the ground because there is still more to come,” the 23-year-old striker said.

“I want to thank Botafogo a lot, Botafogo needs to be at the top, because it’s a club that has been working hard, that has been doing a lot on a daily basis.”