1964 Copa Libertadores

1964 Copa Libertadores de América
Tournament details
Dates April 3 - August 12
Teams 11 (from 10 confederations)
Final positions
Champions Argentina Independiente (1st title)
Runners-up Uruguay Nacional
Tournament statistics
Matches played 26
Goals scored 88 (3.38 per match)
Top scorer(s) Argentina Mario Rodríguez and Paraguay Celino Mora (6 goals)

The 1964 Copa Libertadores de América was the fifth edition of South America's premier club football tournament. For the first time since its inception, every member of CONMEBOL was represented in the competition. Deportivo Italia became the first club from Venezuela to participate, providing an unexpectedly impressive performance after eliminating Bahia of Brazil in the preliminary round and beating Barcelona in Guayaquil.

Building up on Boca Juniors's great showing in the last season, Argentine football managed to put themselves on the international map as Independiente won Argentina's first title. El Diablo Rojo, or Red Devil, eliminated the powerful Santos, which played without the main stars of its attack (Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho and an injured Pelé didn't play, and Pepe just the first match of the semifinal).[1] After winning both matches of their semifinal series and dispatched Nacional in the finals. Mario Rodríguez became a key factor in Independiente's triumph as he became top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals.

Qualified teams

Country Team Qualification method
CONMEBOL
1 berth		 Santos 1963 Copa Libertadores de América winners
 Argentina
1 berth		 Independiente 1963 Primera División champion
 Bolivia
1 berth		 Aurora 1963 Copa Simón Bolívar champion
 Brazil
1 berth		 Bahia 1963 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A runner-up
 Chile
1 berth		 Colo-Colo 1963 Primera División champion
 Colombia
1 berth		 Millonarios 1963 Campeonato Profesional champion
 Ecuador
1 berth		 Barcelona 1963 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol champion
Paraguay Paraguay
1 berth		 Cerro Porteño 1963 Primera División champion
 Peru
1 berth		 Alianza Lima 1963 Primera División champion
 Uruguay
1 berth		 Nacional 1963 Primera División champion
 Venezuela
1 berth		 Deportivo Italia 1963 Venezuelan Primera División champion

Tie-breaking criteria

This edition saw a first round, with three groups containing three teams each; the preliminary round from the 1961 edition was reintroduced. The format for the semifinals and the finals remained unchanged.

At each stage of the tournament teams receive 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria will be applied to determine the ranking in the group stage:

  1. a one-game playoff;
  2. superior goal difference;
  3. draw of lots.

Preliminary round

Due to the uneven amount of teams in the competition, a preliminary round was created to determine who joined the other 9 teams in the competition. As a predominated "weak" side, Venezuela has its representative face off against Brazil's second representative. The winner of the series would advance into the First round. Both matches took place in Caracas.

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Venezuela Deportivo Italia 211021+13
Brazil Bahía 201112-11

First round

Nine teams were drawn into groups of three. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top team in each group advanced to the Semifinals. Santos, the title holders, had a bye to the next round.

Group 1

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Uruguay Nacional 43109277
Paraguay Cerro Porteño 412111654
Bolivia Aurora 4013214-121

Group 2

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina Independiente 431011387
Colombia Millonarios 420268-24
Peru Alianza Lima 4013511-61

Group 3

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Chile Colo-Colo 43019726
Ecuador Barcelona 42029454
Venezuela Deportivo Italia 410329-72

Semifinals

Four teams were drawn into two groups. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top team in each group advanced to the Finals.

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina Independiente220053+24
Brazil Santos200235−20

Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Uruguay Nacional220084+44
Chile Colo-Colo200248−40

Finals

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Argentina Independiente211010+13
Uruguay Nacional201101−11

Champion

Copa Libertadores de América
1964 Champion
Argentina
Independiente
First Title

Top goalscorers

Pos Player Team Goals
1 Argentina Mario Rodríguez Argentina Independiente 6
Paraguay Celino Mora Paraguay Cerro Porteño 6
3 Brazil Nivaldo Ecuador Barcelona 5
4 Argentina Luis Ernesto Suárez Argentina Independiente 4
Argentina Raúl Armando Savoy Argentina Independiente 4
Colombia Delio Gamboa Colombia Millonarios 4
3 Chile Francisco Valdés Chile Colo-Colo 3
Chile Luis Hernán Álvarez Chile Colo-Colo 3
Brazil Roberto Frojuelo Chile Colo-Colo 3
Uruguay Domingo Pérez Uruguay Nacional 3
Peru Víctor Zegarra Peru Alianza Lima 3

Footnotes

  1. ↑ News at journal Folha de S.Paulo on June 23, 2015, the Argentine TV brought up to light phone recordings conversations between Abel Gnecco, Argentina's representative in referee committee of Conmebol and the former president of AFA, Julio Grondona, who died in 2014 and who in 1964 was president of Independiente. In the wiretapping (recorded at May 17, 2013), Grondona praises himself for have conspired with the referee team of semifinal between Santos and Independiente, in order that Brazilian team could not qualify for the final. Transcription of the wiretape, included. (Portuguese)
A. ^ Played in Avellaneda (Racing Club's stadium) due to the tragedy around the olympic qualifier between Peru and Argentina in Lima.
B. ^ Played in Bogotá (El Campin) due to the tragedy around the olympic qualifier between Peru and Argentina in Lima.
C. ^ Not played due to differences between CONMEBOL and the Colombian football federations, ADEFútbol and FEDEBOL (apparently after Independiente refused to travel to Bogotá); points were awarded to Independiente (but no goals).

External links

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