Copa Libertadores 2014

[Treva ★]

The worst Libertadores ever marches on.

San Lorenzo 5 - Bolivar 0
Nacional (Paraguay) 2 - Defensor 0

I thought both Defensor and Bolívar would be better. Oh well…

Bolivar without the typical Bolivian altitude cheat is nothing and is basically done, Defensor will have to play a very tough match In Montevideo.

Defensor can do it. Bolívar… well, this was an out-of-season match. Before the WC they had lost one match out of 10 and won a couple of their away matches. Dangnabbit!

Most likely a San Lorenzo - Nacional final.

Football has died.

I thought football had died after São Paulo were allowed to 'win' their title in 2012.

But yes, this is a poor edition, not the worst ever but one of the worst in recent history.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Worst Libertadores indeed... teams playing like a cheap interpretation of Simeone's Atletico de Madrid (which is awful in it's own league, of course). Just plain ugly, un-watchable really.

[Treva ★]

Even though I despise the club, Vélez Sarsfield going out to Nacional was a low blow to the tournament. Any team with Bauza at the helm should be docked points for crimes against football.

But hey, the sickening dominance by scrappy Brazilian teams is broken at last.

[Claudius Gothicus]

I'm not going to argue for elitism but if this the overall quality of teams that do not belong to the Brazil-Uruguay-Argentina triad (and the teams of these countries are nothing special either) then we'll be seeing indisputable European dominance for a very long period. Periphery strikes again.

[Wulfburk]

^ Agreed.

I think once Boca and River Plate get back on its feet the tourney will return to its quality. River Plate has already assured classification to the next one didnt they?


And oh man... Lanus against Atlético Mineiro... Gotta say even i as a Cruzeiro supporter, if i could choose Lanus to magically score 3 goals when it was 4-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the extra time to Atlético, i'd choose 3 goals for freaking Atlético

How the hell do you go through all the trouble to WIN the match in normal time, and then scores the 2 most lame own goals i ever seen in a freaking FINAL. To hell with Lanus lol, a team that does that doesnt deserves to win at all.

[Treva ★]

I'm not going to argue for elitism but if this the overall quality of teams that do not belong to the Brazil-Uruguay-Argentina triad (and the teams of these countries are nothing special either) then we'll be seeing indisputable European dominance for a very long period. Periphery strikes again.

^ Agreed.

I think once Boca and River Plate get back on its feet the tourney will return to its quality. River Plate has already assured classification to the next one didnt they?

The only solution is for the countries themselves to become stable again, so that players want to stay. In the golden age (pre-1990s) players were regulars at the age of 23 or older, bnot at 23 they've been sold to a few different clubs for several tens of millions of dollars.

And oh man... Lanus against Atlético Mineiro... Gotta say even i as a Cruzeiro supporter, if i could choose Lanus to magically score 3 goals when it was 4-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the extra time to Atlético, i'd choose 3 goals for freaking Atlético

How the hell do you go through all the trouble to WIN the match in normal time, and then scores the 2 most lame own goals i ever seen in a freaking FINAL. To hell with Lanus lol, a team that does that doesnt deserves to win at all.

Lanús' 3rd goal and Mineiro's penalty shouldn't have happened.

[Facupay]

It's almost a geopolitical problem. The difference between European clubs and South American clubs is simply too great and in the end we are just a raw talent extraction site.

All teams here balance their budgets by selling players, if you take away that they go bankrupt.

[Treva ★]

Well, the general crisis in the last couple years was a key factor. But the '90s opened up Latin America in general. Now we pay the consequences.

[Treva ★]

Aaaand Nacional manage to scrape a 0-1 defeat, thus getting into the final after winning no away games.

The worst team from the group stages have got to the continental final. I've seen so many good teams not even manage to qualify, or lose on away goals (Santos '07, NOB 2013, DIM '03, etc.) and this lot get in… after Olimpia lost it last year on penalties! Not the worst cup ever, but close.

[Treva ★]

Another 0-1 defeat sees two of the worst teams of the group stage and of any knockout stage in the last decade be first-time finalists.

[Wulfburk]

Meh, just bring the trophy to the Pope already.

[Treva ★]

And on the day Grondex died, all in one!

[Claudius Gothicus]

A Bauza team winning by a 5-0 score at home and then managing to keep a 0-1 away. This is going to be the worst Libertadores ever. Nacional - San Lorenzo, ugh... all I hope now is that they come to blows at some point.

[Treva ★]

It could be worse, 2008 could have had a Simeone-Bauza quarterfinal.

[Wulfburk]

So San Lorenzo won it. Going to play against Real Madrid in december. IF they dont pull a Atlético Mineiro

[Treva ★]

I despise both teams, the players of one and the manager of the other. Let them both be knocked out by whomever is the champion of Morocco or Afghanistan or wherever FIFA's hosting it this year.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Can't believe a player in Ortigoza's physical condition is going to play RM. He has the looks of a Sunday league forward.

[Facupay]

Can't believe a player in Ortigoza's physical condition is going to play RM. He has the looks of a Sunday league forward.

ORTIGOZA scoring the winning goal of the cup says everything you need to know about the level of Libertadores.

[Treva ★]

Ortigoza has always been a magnificent, skilled, gifted player. Wait, what?

[Pinkerton]

Is that jealousy what I read?

Ortigötze is a great player, a bit chubby, that's all