The 1972 Copa Libertadores was the 13th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's the annual club tournament. Independiente of Argentina defeated Universitario de Deportes of Peru in the finals, and became the second team in the tournament's history to win three title. They would go on and face the winner of the 1971–72 European Cup in the Intercontinental Cup.
| 1972 Copa Libertadores de América 1972 Copa Libertadores da América | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | January 30 – May 24 |
| Teams | 20 (from 10 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Independiente (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Universitario |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 68 |
| Goals scored | 175 (2.57 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Oswaldo Ramírez (6) Percy Rojas (6) Teófilo Cubillas (6) Toninho (6) |
Format
editThe tournament was divided into three phases. The first phase had 19 teams divided into four round-robin groups of four and one group of three (defending champions Nacional received a bye to the second phase). Each group had clubs from two countries. The winners of each group advanced the second phase. Five teams joined the defending champions in two round-robin groups of three. The winners of each group advance to play in the finals. The winner of the finals, and tournament champions, are determined by points (two for a win, one for tie).
Qualified teams
editDraw
editThe champions and runners-up of each football association were drawn into the same group along with another football association's participating teams. Two clubs from Uruguay competed as Nacional was champion of the 1971 Copa Libertadores. They entered the tournament in the Semifinals.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Group Stage
editGroup 1
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | IND | ROC |  SF | NAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independiente | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 10 | Qualified to the Semifinals | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | Rosario Central | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 8 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |||
| 3 | Santa Fe | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 4 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |||
| 4 | Atlético Nacional | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
Group 2
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |  BAR | AME |  ORI | CHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 9 | Qualified to the Semifinals | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 2 | América de Quito | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 7 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Oriente Petrolero | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 6 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 5–0 | |||
| 4 | Chaco Petrolero | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
Group 3
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | SÃO |  CER | OLI | MIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Paulo | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 8 | Qualified to the Semifinals | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | ||
| 2 | Cerro Porteño | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 6 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Olimpia | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2[a] | |||
| 4 | Atlético Mineiro | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Notes:
- ^ The game was suspended at 2–2 because Atlético Mineiro was left with 6 players.
Group 4
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | UNI |  UCH | ALI | USF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universitario | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | Qualified to the Semifinals | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 2 | Universidad de Chile | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | |||
| 3 | Alianza Lima | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 1–0 | |||
| 4 | Unión San Felipe | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 |
Group 5
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |  PEÑ |  ITA | VAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 8 | Qualified to the Semifinals | 5–1 | 4–1 | ||
| 2 | Deportivo Italia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | |||
| 3 | Valencia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
Semifinals
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | UNI | NAC | PEÑ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universitario | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 4 | Qualified to the Final | 3–0 | 2–3 | ||
| 2 | Nacional | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3–3 | 1–1 | |||
| 3 | Peñarol | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | IND | SÃO | BAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independiente | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | Qualified to the Final | 2–0 | 1–0[a] | ||
| 2 | São Paulo | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |||
| 3 | Barcelona | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Notes:
- ^ Barcelona abandoned the match at that score; results stood.
Finals
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independiente | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| 2 | Universitario | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 1 |
| Universitario | 0 – 0 | Independiente |
|---|---|---|
| Independiente | 2 – 1 | Universitario |
|---|---|---|
Maglioni  6' 61' | Rojas 79' |
Champion
edit| Copa Libertadores 1972 Champions |
|---|
 Independiente Third title |