28 days after the 2-2 draw at La Bombonera, River Plate has been crowned Copa Libertadores champions.
In the end, it was everything football fans (barring Boca ones, of course) could have wanted.
The colour, the noise, the passion, the swift counter attacks, the stunning chances, the added drama of a red card; it was all there.
Boca’s opener was quick and clinical, the ball cleared out of its defensive half and all the way down the pitch, where Dario Benedetto coolly slotted it past Armani.
River’s first was a beautiful mix of combination play and fierce strike from Lucas Pratto to finish it off.
Wilmar Barrios’ second yellow saw Boca go down to ten and while they had opportunities, it was River’s day.
Juan Fernando Quintero’s shot from distance was centimetre perfect, skimming the underside of the crossbar to put his side up 2-1.
A desperate Boca came so close to extending the match with Jara’s 120th minute shot hitting the post.
Boca ‘keeper Andrada was up for a corner in the dying minutes and consequently allowed River Plate to score the sealer with relative ease.
Quintero released Gonzalo Nicolas Martinez who was able to score into an empty net.
Although the match was brilliant, there will always be a heaviness surrounding the result and the way in which the match came about.
The attacks, the postponements, the lack of communication, the formal complaints, the venue on another continent.
The 2018 Copa Libertadores won’t be forgotten but how it will be remembered probably won’t ever do the actual football justice.
