Lima: Danilo struck a second-half winner as Flamengo claimed its fourth Copa Libertadores title with a 1-0 victory over Palmeiras in all-Brazilian final.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus defender broke the deadlock in the 67th minute, heading in after Giorgian de Arrascaeta’s corner at Estadio Monumental in Peru’s capital.
It was no less than Flamengo deserved with the Rio de Janeiro outfit dominating possession throughout and Palmeiras failing to have a single shot on target, reports Xinhua.
“To score the title-winning goal with the club that I love is something I don’t have words for,” Danilo said after the match. “We worked a lot on our set pieces because we knew we would have chances to score in those situations and that’s exactly what happened.”
Palmeiras, which had also been seeking its fourth Libertadores title, started the match with a five-man defense and struggled to pose a scoring threat for most of the match.
“We tried our best but that’s football,” Palmeiras forward Jose Manuel Lopez said. “It was a tough game and we probably lacked attacking intent, but we gave everything we could in the tournament. It’s a sad result for us. Now we have to keep fighting and we’ll come back a lot stronger.”
Flamengo took the initiative from the outset as its midfield quartet of Jorginho, Erick Pulgar, Jorge Carrascal and De Arrascaeta took control.
Bruno Henrique fired over the bar from distance in the 15th minute, and Samuel Lino pulled a shot wide moments later after showing neat footwork on the left side of the penalty box.
Palmeiras’ best chance of the opening half came in the 20th minute when former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque headed over the bar after Joaquin Piquerez’s cross from the right.
Flamengo stepped up its intensity after the interval, and Danilo put his team ahead by rising unchallenged and thumping a header into the far corner following De Arrascaeta’s out-swinging corner.
The goal prompted greater urgency from Palmeiras. Murilo Cerqueira shot narrowly wide after the ball spilled free from an aerial duel, and Roque blasted over when he had only the goalkeeper to beat.
But Flamengo refused to yield and almost doubled its lead in stoppage time when Everton’s curling free kick rebounded off the far post with goalkeeper Carlos Miguel beaten.
(IANS)
