2014 Copa Sudamericana finals
The 2014 Copa Sudamericana finals were the final matches of the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary club football competition. The two-legged event was contested between Atlético Nacional of Colombia and River Plate of Argentina. The first leg was played at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, on 3 December 2014 and the second leg was played on 10 December 2014 at the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires. Both teams were appearing in their second final.
As a team of the Argentine Zone, River Plate received a bye in the first round, which meant that Atlético Nacional played two matches more to reach the final. River Plate's first two rounds resulted in comfortable victories, with their later matches being more closely contested. In turn, all of Atlético Nacional's were hard fought contests, winning only a round by more than one goal.
Watched by a crowd of 44,412 at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Atlético Nacional took the lead in the first half of the first leg when Orlando Berrío scored. However, a goal by Leonardo Pisculichi in the second half levelled the match at 1–1, which remained the score. A crowd of 62,000 saw River Plate take an early lead in the second half when Gabriel Mercado scored. Just minutes later, Germán Pezzella extended their lead. River Plate held on the 3–1 aggregate, thus winning the tie and securing their first Copa Sudamericana title.
Road to the finals
Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional qualified for the Copa Sudamericana by winning the 2013 Copa Colombia, beating Millonarios 3–2 in the two-legged final. As a team of the North Zone, they entered the competition in the first stage, and would play against a team from their same zone. Thus, they were drawn against Deportivo La Guaira of Venezuela for their first match-up. The opening leg was held at the Estadio Olímpico de la UCV in Caracas, where the home side took the lead following a goal from Framber Villegas. Atlético Nacional would equalise the match eight minutes from the final whistle, when Edwin Cardona scored after they were awarded a penalty, remaining the score. The return leg at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot was won by the Colombian side, thanks to a goal from Luis Carlos Ruiz, which sent them through. As the draw had arranged, they were to face a team from the South Zone in the second stage. Thus, their opposition were Paraguayan team Club General Díaz. The opening leg in Medellín went in favour of the visitors 2–0, which meant that Atlético Nacional needed to net at least two goals in the rematch. Cardona opened the scoring early at the Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, but the home side would tie the game on the second half. Shortly after, Wilder Guisao put the visitors in the lead once again, and Santiago Tréllez completed the comeback when he scored just three minutes away from stoppage time. Atlético Nacional advanced into the eighth-finals following a 3–3 aggregate, due to the away goals rule.The seeding for the final stages of the tournament had also determined they were to host the opening leg against any team they were to play. Their opposition in the Round of 16 were Vitória of Brasil. The first leg at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot resulted in a 2–2 draw. The return leg at the Estádio Manoel Barradas saw Atlético Nacional progress after Daniel Bocanegra scored the winning goal in the 70th minute. In the quarter-finals, they were paired against Peruvian team Universidad César Vallejo. The opening leg ended 1–0 to the home side courtesy of a goal from Alejandro Bernal. The rematch went in their favour as well, after Edwin Cardona found the net twelve minutes away from injury time. For their semi-final match-up, they were to face Brazilian team São Paulo. Atlético Nacional earned another 1–0 victory at their home ground, as Luis Carlos Ruíz scored for the third time in the competition. São Paulo would match their opponents' efforts in the second leg, winning by the same margin at the Estádio do Morumbi. Thus, a penalty shoot-out was required to determine a winner. The home side missed two of their three spot kicks, sending Atlético Nacional through as they in turn scored all of their four penalties.
River Plate
River Plate qualified for the Copa Sudamericana as champions of the 2013-14 Copa Campeonato, which they won against San Lorenzo 1–0. As a team of the Argentine Zone, they would play a fellow Argentine team, receiving a bye in the first round and thus entering the competition in the second stage. The draw determined they would play Godoy Cruz. The first leg was held at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, where River Plate won 1–0 after Germán Pezzella scored through a header in stoppage time. The return leg at the Estadio Monumental would also go in their favour, following a brace from Rodrigo Mora.River Plate were seeded third in the draw South American governing body CONMEBOL organised on 20 May, meaning they would host the second leg against nearly every team. Their Round of 16 opponents were to be Club Libertad of Paraguay. At the Estadio Dr. Nicolás Léoz, a goal from Claudio Vargas put the visitors at a disadvantage. This was further emphasized when a penalty was awarded to the home team, which Hernán Rodrigo López missed. Despite this, River Plate made the comeback, as they scored three goals courtesy of Carlos Sánchez, Sebastián Driussi and Giovanni Simeone. They would later qualify after earning a 2–0 victory in the second leg. For the quarter-finals, they were to play another Argentine team in Estudiantes de La Plata. The opening leg was won by River Plate, who after facing another 1–0 deficit, secured a new comeback following a Mora strike and an own goal by Jonathan Schunke. An early goal at the Estadio Monumental by Teófilo Gutiérrez put the home side on the lead, but Estudiantes responded through forwards Diego Vera and Guido Carrillo, tying up the aggregate. Nonetheless, a pair of goals in the span of two minutes for River Plate sealed the 3–2 win as they progressed into the semi-finals. Their last opposition before the finals were to be rivals Boca Juniors. The first leg at the Estadio La Bombonera ended goalless. At the Estadio Monumental, a foul inside the area by Ariel Rojas on Marcelo Meli was sanctioned just seconds after the first whistle. Emmanuel Gigliotti stepped up to take the penalty, but goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero saved it. Leonardo Pisculichi would score minutes later for the home side, who clinched a 1–0 victory to reach their second Copa Sudamericana final.
Background
Atlético Nacional were appearing in their second Copa Sudamericana final. Their previous appearance in the 2002 edition resulted in a 4–0 loss on aggregate to San Lorenzo of Argentina. They were looking to win their first continental title in 14 years, after they beat fellow Colombian team Millonarios 2–1 in the year 2000 to win the two-legged Copa Merconorte final.River Plate were also appearing in their second final. They had previously reached the 2003 Copa Sudamericana finals, which they lost to Cienciano of Peru 4–3 on aggregate. They were looking for their first continental title since 1997, when they beat Brazilian team São Paulo over two legs to win the 1997 Supercopa Libertadores finals.
Both teams were their league reigning champions at the time of the matches. River Plate had won the 2014 Torneo Final. Atlético Nacional were the 2014 Torneo Apertura winners, the third consecutive Categoría Primera A title they had won.
First leg
Summary
The first leg was held at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot, the home ground of Atlético Nacional. The home side dominated the first mintues of the game. Lining up a 3–4–3 scheme, they pinned River Plate back and created the best chances. Just five minutes in, playmaker Edwin Cardona shot on target from a free kick, forcing goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero into a save. He fumbled to catch the ball, however, having the post prevent the opening goal. Four minutes later, Jonathan Copete sent a cross into the box that Luis Carlos Ruiz was unable to connect. Various other attacks were launched, making River Plate's keeper work hard to neutralize their efforts. The visitors struggled to control possession, but at the 31-minute mark, they had their first clear scoring prospect. A far-post shot from Leonel Vangioni went narrowly wide of the goal defended by Franco Armani. Colombian striker Teófilo Gutiérrez attempted to divert his teammate's shot into the net, but was unsuccessful. Shortly after, Cardona filtered a deep pass looking for Orlando Berrío. The forward ran down the right flank and unveiled a shot that left Barovero responseless, giving his team a 1–0 lead. Atlético Nacional made their first substitution a minute later, when Alejandro Guerra replaced Alejandro Bernal following an injury the latter midfielder sustained. The home side had another chance to extend their advantage in the 38th minute of play, but the keeper denied Berrío.Early in the second half, River Plate had two more opportunities. Gutiérrez first sent a cross over to Carlos Sánchez, who slipped into the box and managed a left-footed shot that was blocked by Armani. Four minutes later, a Leonardo Pisculichi free kick also demanded the keeper to dive for a save. River Plate pushed their lines forward, looking to exert pressure and take control of ball possession. They looked energetic and motivated, as they controlled the pace of the match. In contrast, Atlético Nacional seemed in a tired state, stemming from the intensity they displayed earlier in the match. The manager for the home side, Juan Carlos Osorio, subbed off winger Copete for Sebastián Pérez. They were close to extending their lead as a result, following a header the defensive midfielder rattled against the crossbar. Ultimately, the visitors managed to capitalize on their efforts, yielding a tie game 65 minutes in when, after a pass from Gutiérrez, Pisculichi took a shot from afar that beat goalkeeper Armani. Atlético Nacional tried to unlevel the game through a header from Berrío and a free kick from Cardona, to no avail. Content with the result, River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo set in motion a 4–4–2 formation when he switched Pisculichi for Matías Kranevitter. Their main goal was to hold on to the scoreline, while being able to exploit their opposition's desperation through counter-attacks. They came close to a victory after a volley from subbed-in striker Fernando Cavenaghi, but his shot went over the crossbar, remaining the 1–1 score.
Second leg
Summary
At the Estadio Monumental, the first minutes of the game unfolded tensely, with numerous fouls. Atlético Nacional's Juan Carlos Osorio arranged a 3–4–1–2 formation, looking to create pressure. In turn, the home side started to assert their dominance by issuing an early first warning, following a set piece from Leonardo Pisculichi that Franco Armani successfully plunged away. Edwin Cardona responded for the visitors with a long-range free kick that went over the woodwork. Shortly after, the Atlético Nacional goalkeeper saved a volley from Carlos Sánchez. At the 11-minute mark, Leonel Vangioni sent a cross after a one-two passing play with striker Rodrigo Mora that Teófilo Gutiérrez headed wide. Four minutes later, Armani was once again tested after Sánchez found the Colombian striker, who attempted a shot to the far post to which the keeper responded well. River Plate continued to be in control of the match, having three chances in the span of four minutes that they were unable to convert. In the 27th minute, a header from Gutiérrez was saved by Armani following a cross from Mora. Two minutes later, Pisculichi filtered a pass for the striker, who eludded his marker Francisco Nájera and unveiled a weak shot that was also denied. Sixty seconds after that, he entered the penalty area and took another shot towards the net which was stopped for a third time by the Argentine goalkeeper.Atlético Nacional's gameplan was to permanently look for Alexander Mejía or Cardona, who were to dictate their plays. Their teammates were mostly unable to find them however, which prompted their opposition to rapidly retake ball control. They eventually managed to fend off River Plate's high pressure, creating an opportunity in the 32nd minute when Luis Carlos Ruiz shot just wide from outside the box. The forward later followed up on this breakthrough as he sent a cross that Marcelo Barovero barely managed to intercept. The visitors linked up a third consecutive prospect when Orlando Berrío laid off a pass to Cardona, who found himself in front of Barovero and proceeded to take a shot that the goalkeeper deflected for a corner. The last chance of the half fell to the home side. From a defensive clearance, Mora got rid of his marker and set Gutiérrez up one-on-one with Armani. However, the Colombian striker lingered to take control of the ball, and ultimately squandered the opportunity.
Atlético Nacional had the first approach in the second half with a free kick that Juan Valencia sent into Barovero. River Plate had a quiet start, but would take the lead 55 minutes in. Pisculichi took a corner kick from the left that progressively curled away from the goalkeeper. The cross found right-back Gabriel Mercado, who with a bounced header sent the ball into the net. Five minutes later, the same play was replicated to conceive the second goal. The cross sent by the attacking midfielder was headed by centre-back Germán Pezzella to make it 2–0. The visitors were unable to create any further danger from there on out. The home side had another chance to score following a free kick from Pisculichi which almost resulted in an own goal. The remaining half hour was River Plate's as they calmly saw the match off to win their first Copa Sudamericana.