BUENOS AIRES (AP) – it is played in Madrid, but the suffering and the celebration was all in Buenos Aires.River Plate was crowned champion of the Copa Libertadores after beating its classic rival Boca Juniors on Sunday in an eternal final that lasted nearly a month and included a postponement by storm, and then a suspension and moving to the Spanish capital by incidents of violence, an unprecedented event in the history of the South American competition. Despite the annoyance which resulted in fans of both teams in the dispute of the decisive match for the title in Europe, each of them lived it in Buenos Aires with the same intensity, suffering, excitement and madness than if it had played on the pitch of its eternal rival.
A double Rainbow illuminates the obelisk and the center of Buenos Aires while River Plate fans celebrate after winning 3-1 to Boca Juniors in the final of the Libertadores Cup, which was played in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, December 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Several thousand “Millionaire” fans continued celebrating on Sunday night the fourth Libertadores for the club in the obelisk, iconic monument in the center of the Argentine capital where the sporting triumphs are celebrated. Hundreds shouted “give champion, dale champion” against the Monumental Stadium, where they were supposed to define Cup, but Conmebol took the homefield River in punishment for the attack launched by a group of their fans against the bus carrying the players Boca on November 24.
While citywide honking of cars and motorcycles were heard.
Party coverage also spread places in various provinces of Argentina.” A minute’s silence for mouth that is dead”, sang the ecstatic fans while they gave a” lap “around the obelisk, waving red and white flags in a torrential rain which then dissipated to the Rainbow. “Christmas Eve is coming, already approaching Christmas, all the bosteros (nickname for fans of mouth) the gift of Pope”.
A fan of River Plate bike celebrates after the 3-1 victory against Boca Juniors in the final of the Libertadores Cup, which was played in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, December 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko).
“I can not believe”, said Marcelo Gómez, a fan coverage that followed the end in a bar a few blocks from the monument with the breathy voice. “I can not play here on the River Court, we had to tough it out. But in the end we realized.” The fans sang to hoarseness by “snowman, snowman”, nickname of Marcelo Gallardo, the coach who with this title became the most significant figure in the history of the millionaire club, even above Angel Labruna and Ramón Díaz, other strategists winners that left their mark.
There were also some insults to the President of the nation, Mauricio Macri, a self-confessed fan of Boca who chaired the club successfully for more than one decade before entering politics.
“Congratulations to River and all its fans by the triumph in this historic match. The mouth know that football always gives rematch”, wrote the President in your Twitter.Hasta account when the celebrations unfolded without incident, before the watchful eyes of more than 2,000 police officers who guard the center of Buenos Aires.
Boca Juniors fans react to see on TV the 3-1 defeat to River Plate in the final of the Libertadores Cup, which was played in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, December 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko).
In the South of the city there was desolation. Many Boca fans had seen the encounter in the surroundings of the stadium La Bombonera, where on 11 November had tied 2-2 by the party’s first leg of the final. A multitude of great cut a street and focused against a just a 32-inch TV placed in front of a bar to follow the emotional meeting was defined in overtime 3-1 in favour of its staunch opponent. They cried with joy by the goal of Darío Benedetto that gave Boca the temporary advantage in the first half and ended up heartbroken with the image of the River Captain Leonardo Ponzio by lifting the Libertadores.” I don’t like to lose, I started to cry. It was a match to win”, lamented Sabrina Ortíz, dressed in a jacket from the club. “Mouth deserved it”. Several pointed against the changes coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto and others simply left with his head down to missing a quick rematch, but on Argentine soil.
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