The 1966 Copa Libertadores de América was the seventh edition of the competition, the premier South American club football tournament, organized by CONMEBOL. Colombia and Brazil did not send their representatives. This edition became the first club competition of the world to include the runners-up of each of its participating association. Despite the fact that Colombian and Brazilian clubs did not participate, this tournament saw a record 95 matches being played out to determine this year's champion.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 5 - April 15 |
| Teams | 17 (from 8 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Peñarol (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  River Plate |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 95 |
| Goals scored | 283 (2.98 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Daniel Onega (17 goals) |
Colombia did not send a representative due to the disagreements between CONMEBOL and the Colombian football federations. The Brazilians protested the inclusion of the runners-up of each nation and argued that the tournament should be reserved for national champions. That led them to become denatured and the powers reserved only for the champions, in addition to the priority order they gave their interstate tournaments and the many unattractive encounters-to-come against teams from the "Pacific", the Brazilian clubs opted for tours around the world instead as they were seen more economically rewarding. Not having any economic incentives, CONMEBOL was forced to allow clubs the freedom of whether they participated or not. This trend will continue for the next 5 editions.
After winning each of their home legs, Peñarol and River Plate required a playoff to break the deadlock. The match was played in the Estadio Nacional of Santiago, Chile. River Plate finished the first half 2-0 and was in cruise control towards its first title. The manyas managed to revert the disadvantage to push this match into extra time. With two more goals, the final score of 2-4 meant that Peñarol became the first three-time winners of the competition. The collapse of River Plate in the second half led the club to being known, even now, as the "gallinas".
Qualified teams
edit| Country | Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|
| CONMEBOL (1 berth) | Independiente | 1965 Copa Libertadores winners |
| Argentina (2 berths) | Boca Juniors | 1965 Primera División champion |
| River Plate | 1965 Primera División runner-up | |
 Bolivia(2 berths) | Deportivo Municipal | 1965 Copa Simón Bolívar champion |
| Jorge Wilstermann | 1965 Copa Simón Bolívar runner-up | |
 Chile(2 berths) | Universidad de Chile | 1965 Primera División champion |
| Universidad Católica | 1965 Primera División runner-up | |
 Ecuador(2 berths) | Emelec | 1965 Campeonato Ecuatoriano champion |
| 9 de Octubre | 1965 Campeonato Ecuatoriano runner-up | |
 Paraguay(2 berths) | Olimpia | 1965 Primera División champion |
| Guaraní | 1965 Primera División runner-up | |
 Peru(2 berths) | Alianza Lima | 1965 Primera División champion |
| Universitario | 1965 Primera División runner-up | |
| Uruguay (2 berths) | Peñarol | 1965 Primera División champion |
| Nacional | 1965 Primera División runner-up | |
 Venezuela(2 berths) | Lara | 1965 Primera División champion |
| Deportivo Italia | 1965 Primera División runner-up |
Tie-breaking criteria
editAt each stage of the tournament teams receive 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points, the following criteria will be applied to determine the ranking in the group stage:
- a one-game playoff;
- superior goal difference;
- draw of lots.
First round
editSixteen teams were drawn into two groups of six and one group of four. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top two teams in each group advanced to the Semifinals. Independiente, the title holders, had a bye to the next round.
Group 1
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 8 | +15 | 17 |
| Boca Juniors | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 9 | +10 | 14 |
| Universitario | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 11 |
| Deportivo Italia | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 10 |
| Alianza Lima | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 4 |
| Lara | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 4 |
Universitario| February 9, 1966 | Deportivo Italia | 2 – 2 | Universitario | Caracas |
Zeica  Tacoronte | Uribe Chumpitaz |
Alianza Lima| February 12, 1966 | Deportivo Italia | 3 – 1 | Alianza Lima | Caracas |
| Tacoronte Zeica Nitti | Flores |
Deportivo Italia| March 8, 1966 | Boca Juniors | 5 – 2 | Deportivo Italia | Buenos Aires |
| Menéndez Aimonetti Rojas Luna | Nitti |
Group 2
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universidad Católica | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 |
| Guaraní | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Olimpia | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 6 |
| Universidad de Chile | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 5 |
Universidad Católica| March 16, 1966 | Guaraní | 3 – 1 | Universidad Católica | Asunción |
| Patiño González Arámbulo | Fouilloux |
Universidad de Chile| March 20, 1966 | Universidad Católica | 2 – 2 | Universidad de Chile | Santiago |
| Prieto Fouilloux | Marcos Campos |
Group 3
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 16 |
| Nacional | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 15 |
| Jorge Wilstermann | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 10 |
| Deportivo Municipal | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 9 |
| Emelec | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 18 | -3 | 8 |
| 9 de Octubre | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 31 | -18 | 2 |
Jorge Wilstermann| January 30, 1966 | Deportivo Municipal | 1 – 1 | Jorge Wilstermann | La Paz |
| Di Meglio | García |
Nacional| February 2, 1966 | Deportivo Municipal | 3 – 2 | Nacional | La Paz |
| Di Meglio Quevedo | Oyarbide Virgili |
Nacional| February 9, 1966 | 9 de Octubre | 2 – 3 | Nacional | Guayaquil |
| Álvarez o.g.' Fernández | Morales Pérez |
Deportivo Municipal| February 19, 1966 | 9 de Octubre | 3 – 4 | Deportivo Municipal | Guayaquil |
| Bono Fernández Grijo | Moyano Castillo |
Jorge Wilstermann| February 24, 1966 | 9 de Octubre | 3 – 2 | Jorge Wilstermann | Guayaquil |
| Fernández Bono Grijo | García López |
Deportivo Municipal| February 24, 1966 | Emelec | 2 – 1 | Deportivo Municipal | Guayaquil |
| Lencina Merizalde | Di Meglio |
Deportivo Municipal| March 2, 1966 | Nacional | 4 – 1 | Deportivo Municipal | Montevideo |
| Morales Virgili | Moyano |
Deportivo Municipal| March 5, 1966 | Peñarol | 3 – 1 | Deportivo Municipal | Montevideo |
| Silva Spencer Joya | Moyano |
9 de Octubre| March 17, 1966 | Jorge Wilstermann | 4 – 1 | 9 de Octubre | Cochabamba |
| García Agreda López | Fernández |
9 de Octubre| March 19, 1966 | Deportivo Municipal | 5 – 1 | 9 de Octubre | La Paz |
| Moyano Caínzo Castillo Espinoza Aguirre | Fernández |
Deportivo Municipal| March 23, 1966 | Jorge Wilstermann | 3 – 0 | Deportivo Municipal | Cochabamba |
| García López |
Semifinals
editSeven teams were drawn into two groups, one of four and the other of three. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away. The top team in each group advanced to the Finals.
Group A
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 8 |
| Independiente | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 |
| Boca Juniors | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 |
| Guaraní | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 1 |
Boca Juniors| April 14, 1966 | River Plate | 2 – 2 | Boca Juniors | Buenos Aires |
| Sarnari Silvero o.g.' | Madurga Rojas |
Independiente| May 10, 1966 First place playoff | River Plate | 2 – 1 | Independiente | Buenos Aires |
| Onega Cubilla | Artime |
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | PEÑ | CAT | NAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | Qualified to the Final | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 2 | Universidad Católica | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | |||
| 3 | Nacional | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 2 | 0–1 | 3–2 |
Universidad Católica| April 14, 1966 | Nacional | 3 – 2 | Universidad Católica | Montevideo |
| Virgili Oyarbide | Tobar Inostroza |
Finals
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 2 |
| 2 | River Plate | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
| Peñarol | 2–0 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Abbadie 74' Joya 84' |
Champion
edit| Copa Libertadores de América 1966 Champion |
|---|
 Peñarol Third Title |
Top goalscorers
editFootnotes
edit- A. ^ The match finished 1-1, but Universitario were declared 0-1 winners as Alianza fielded two ineligible players: Catalá and Cruz.