One of Rio and Brazil’s most popular football sides, Flamengo, won the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of Europe’s  Champions League, by beating Argentina’s River Plate in the final played in Lima, Peru, on Saturday 23 November 2019.

Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa scored twice in a dramatic final five minutes as the team came from a goal down to beat River Plate 2-1 and win its first Copa Libertadores title since 1981.

The final of South America’s biggest club football competition, which started in 1960, was moved from Santiago to the Peruvian city because of unrest in Chile’s capital. This was the first time since 1988 that the tournament has been decided in a one-off game.

Flamengo has now qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar and could face European champions Liverpool if they both reach the final on 21 December, as they did back in 1981 when Flamengo won 3-0, inspired by the legendary Zico.

Then on Sunday, 24 November, Flamengo learnt they had won the Brazilian league for the seventh time after Gremio had beaten Palmeiras, meaning they could no longer have its point total surpassed.