PEÑAROL 4-2 RIVER PLATE

With the tournament having only come into being a few years earlier, the 1966 Copa Libertadores final play-off between Peñarol and River Plate was one of the first classic matches in the history of the competition. River Plate had already required a play-off to overcome defending champions Independiente in the semi-finals, and when they lost the first leg of the final 2-0 in Montevideo it seemed that Peñarol were home and dry.

River Plate had to come from a goal down twice in the second leg to win 3-2, and level the tie at one win each. With no consideration in the rules for aggregate scores a play off was needed on neutral ground in Chile. Peñarol, coached by legendary former Uruguayan goalkeeper Roque Gastón Máspoli, had been so close to winning the title in the second leg but they made a terrible start in the play-off match.

After a tight struggle for much of the first half, River Plate seemed to take complete control of the match in the closing moments of the half. Daniel Onega gave the Argentinian side the lead eight minutes before the interval, and just five minutes later they doubled their advantage when Jorge Solari scored to give them a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Peñarol had to respond in the second half, but it took them almost until the hour mark to make the breakthrough. With fifty-seven minutes on the clock, Alberto Spencer struck to halve the deficit and give the Uruguayan side hope. Peñarol now believed that they could get back into the match, and River Plate found themselves having to hold on to a narrow lead.

River held on until eighteen minutes from time, when Julio Abbadie found an equaliser for Peñarol. After coming from behind themselves in the second leg, it was now River Plate who had missed a great chance to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time. The remaining minutes of the second half did not produce a winning goal, and the match went to extra-time.

As the game approached half-time in extra-time, it was Peñarol who took the lead for the first time in the match. Four minutes from the interval Spencer scored his second goal of the match to give his team the lead, and Peñarol were in control. River needed a quick reply in the second period of extra-time, but four minutes after the restart suffered a blow from which they could not recover. Peñarol star Pedro Rocha scored his side's fourth goal and there was no way back for the Argentinian side. For the third time in the seven seasons of the Copa Libertadores, Peñarol were the champions, but only after an epic three-match struggle.