The 1997 Copa CONMEBOL Finals were the final two-legged tie that decided the 1997 Copa CONMEBOL, the sixth edition of Copa CONMEBOL. The finals were contested in two-legged home-and-away format between Argentina's Lanús and Atlético Mineiro from Brazil. The matches were held at the Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, in Lanús, and at the Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte.
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| Event | 1997 Copa CONMEBOL | ||||||
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| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 6 November 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, Lanús | ||||||
| Referee | Gustavo Gallesio (Uruguay) | ||||||
| Attendance | 15,000 | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
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| Date | 17 September 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte | ||||||
| Referee | Epifanio González (Paraguay) | ||||||
| Attendance | 35,131 | ||||||
It was Lanús's second appearance in the finals of the Copa CONMEBOL, being the defending champions, while Atlético Mineiro reached the finals for the third time. Atlético Mineiro won the tie 5–2 claiming its second title in the competition.
Background
editThe 1997 final was the first meeting between Atlético Mineiro and Lanús. Both sides went into the final chasing their second Copa CONMEBOL title. Lanús were the defending champions, and Atlético Mineiro had won the competition in 1992 and finished as runner-up in 1995.[1]
Qualified teams
edit| Team | Previous final app. |
|---|---|
 Club Atlético Lanús |
1996 |
 Atlético Mineiro |
1992, 1995 |
- Bold indicates winning years
Route to the final
editNote: In all scores below, the score of the home team is given first.
| Lanús
|
Round | Atlético Mineiro
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Venue | Score | Opponent | Venue | Score | |
 Real Santa Cruz(won 6–1 on aggregate) |
Away | 1–1 | First round | Portuguesa (won 4–1 on aggregate) |
Away | 1–4 |
| Home | 5–0 | Home | 0–0 | |||
| Vitória (won 3–2 on aggregate) |
Away | 1–0 | Quarter-finals |  América de Cali(won 3–2 on aggregate) |
Away | 1–2 |
| Home | 3–1 | Home | 1–1 | |||
| Colón (won 3–1 on aggregate) |
Away | 0–2 | Semi-finals |  Universitario(won 6–0 on aggregate) |
Away | 0–2 |
| Home | 1–1 | Home | 4–0 | |||
Matches
editSummary
editIn the first match, held in Lanús's La Fortaleza on 6 November 1997, the home team opened the scoreline with Ariel Ibagaza, but Atlético Mineiro tied before the end of the second half with Bruno. An own goal by José Serrizuela in the second half gave the Brazilians the lead, followed by two more goals by the visitors, by Hernani and Valdir (who would finish as top goalscorer in the competition). After the end of the match, Lanús's defender Oscar Ruggeri assaulted Atlético Mineiro's Jorginho, and a brawl ensued.[2] Atlético players and staff were trapped against the fence surrounding the pitch and attacked by Lanús players and supporters. Among other injured players and staff in the confrontation, Atlético's head coach Emerson Leão had to undergo surgery after being hit in the face.[3]
The second match was played at the Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, on 17 December 1997. Atlético Mineiro fielded four forwards in an attempt to rout Lanús again, but the lack of midfielders in the Brazilian team allowed the Argentine one to advance.[4] Lanús had many youngsters in the squad, but had the match was even, with an Atlético Mineiro goal by Jorginho in the first half and the equaliser by Marcelo Trimarchi in the second. There were security concerns after the brawl in the first match, but no violent incidents occurred in Belo Horizonte.[5]
Details
editFirst leg
edit| Lanús | 1–4 | Atlético Mineiro |
|---|---|---|
Ibagaza  19' |
Bruno 41' Serrizuela 56' (o.g.)Hernani 60'Valdir 80' |
          Lanús
|
     At. Mineiro
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Second leg
edit| Atlético Mineiro | 1–1 | Lanús |
|---|---|---|
| Jorginho 10' |
Trimarchi 57' |
| At. Mineiro
|
Lanús
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See also
editReferences
edit- General
- Gonzalez, Miguel; Andrés, Juan Pablo; Ciullini, Pablo; Jönsson, Mikael (7 March 2013). "Copa Conmebol 1997". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 November 2016.[dead link]
- "Brazil's Atlético Mineiro remains unbeaten through 1997's Copa Conmebol". CONMEBOL. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- Specific
- ^ Stokkermans, Karel (15 December 1999). "Copa Conmebol". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Lanús, trasquilados" [Lanús, ruined]. La Nación (in Spanish). 7 November 1997. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Conmebol 1997: Relembre confusão entre jogadores do Galo e do Lanús" [Remember brawl between Galo and Lanús players]. Globoesporte.com (in Portuguese). 4 April 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Anteontem" [The day before yesterday]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 19 December 1997. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Lanús, con la frente alta" [Lanús, with their heads high]. La Nación (in Spanish). 18 December 1997. Retrieved 22 November 2016.