2007 Copa Libertadores finals
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The 2007 Copa Libertadores finals was a two-legged football match-up to determine the 2007 Copa Libertadores champion. The series was contested between Argentine club Boca Juniors and Brazilian club Grêmio. The first leg of the tie was played on June 13 at Boca Juniors' home field, La Bombonera, with the second leg played on June 20 at Gremio's Estádio Olímpico. Boca Juniors won the series 5–0 on aggregate, achieving their sixth Copa Libertadores title.
Qualified teams
| Team | Previous finals app. |
|---|---|
| Argentina Boca Juniors | 1963, 1977, 1978, 1979, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 |
| Brazil Grêmio | 1983, 1984, 1995 |
Bold indicates winning years
Venues
Route to the finals
| Grêmio | Boca Juniors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil São Paulo A 0–1 | Round of 16 First leg | Argentina Vélez Sársfield H 3–0 | Riquelme 9' Palermo 61' Rodríguez 89' | |
| Brazil São Paulo H 2–0 | Tcheco 17' Diego Souza 74' | Second leg | Argentina Vélez Sársfield A 1–3 | Bustos (o.g.) 32' |
| Uruguay Defensor Sporting A 0–2 | Quarterfinals First leg | Paraguay Libertad H 1–1 | Palermo 90' | |
| Uruguay Defensor Sporting H 2–0 (p. 4–2) | Tcheco 22' Teco 45' | Second leg | Paraguay Libertad A 2–0 | Riquelme 61' Palacio |
| Brazil Santos H 2–0 | Tcheco 34' Carlos Eduardo 36' | Semifinals First leg | Colombia Cúcuta Deportivo A 1–3 | Ledesma 27' |
| Brazil Santos A 1–3 | Diego Souza 34' | Second leg | Colombia Cúcuta Deportivo H 3–0 | Riquelme 44' Palermo 61' Battaglia 90' |
Matches
First leg
| Boca Juniors | Grêmio |
| Man of the Match: Argentina Juan Román Riquelme (Boca Juniors)Assistant referees: Uruguay Wálter Rial Uruguay Edgardo Acosta Fourth official: Uruguay Líber Prudente |
Second leg
| Grêmio Brazil | 0–2 | Argentina Boca Juniors |
|---|---|---|
| Riquelme 69', 81' |
| Grêmio | Boca Juniors |
| Man of the Match: Argentina Juan Román Riquelme (Boca Juniors)Assistant referees: Colombia Juan Carlos Bedoya Colombia Jovani Zapata Fourth official: Colombia Albert Duarte |
Aftermath
With this appearance in the last stage Boca Juniors reached a record-equalling ninth final, winning on five of the eight previous occasions. At that point only Peñarol of Uruguay had played as many. The media praised Juan Román Riquelme's performance in the finals, crediting him as Boca's most notable player. Riquelme had returned to Argentina after a frustrating experience at Spanish club Villarreal where manager Manuel Pellegrini excluded him from the senior squad due to personal disputes. Under the guidance of manager Miguel Ángel Russo, Riquelme was the top scorer of the team (and second of the 2007 edition behind Salvador Cabañas) with 8 goals in 11 matches, three of them in the finals.
Riquelme made it easy to win the Copa Libertadores
— Sergio Orteman, Riquelme's teammate in 2007
The (Libertadores) Cup is like the girl you want but she ignores you
— Miguel Ángel Russo, Boca Juniors manager
The 5–0 aggregate score remains the largest victory in the history of Copa Libertadores finals.
On the other hand, Grêmio – who had previously played three finals, winning two of them – moved up to second place among Brazilian clubs with most Copa Libertadores finals contested, behind São Paulo with six.