Corinthians lift maiden Libertadores Cup

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Published time: July 05, 2012 08:51
Edited time: July 05, 2012 12:51

One of the most popular Brazilian clubs, Corinthians, have finally put their hands on the Libertadores Cup, topping six-time champions Boca Juniors 2-0 on Wednesday night.

­The sides were level at 1-1 after the first leg of the final, which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 27.

Corinthians took full advantage of the home pitch as the tie moved to Sao Paulo.

It was Emerson, who became the hero for the Brazilians, netting both goals after the break.

The 33-year-old was first on the cross from free-kick to open the scoring on 54 minutes and then finished off a speedy counter attack, with less than 20 minutes left on the clock, 2-0.

"This team deserved this title," Tite, the Corinthians coach is cited by AP news agency as saying. "No team did more than we did, no one marked better, no one was more focused. This isn't happening by luck, we deserved it."

Corinthians are considered the second most popular team in Brazil after Flamengo. They’ve won five domestic titles, but never before tasted big international success as his season saw the Time do Povo (People's Club) making their first Libertadores Cup final.  

"A team like Corinthians should've won the Copa Libertadores before," Danilo, Corinthians playmaker, commented. "We came into this final very focused and we played a great match to finally get it done."

Meanwhile, the Brazilian domination in Latin America’s top club competition continues as Internacional and Santos claimed the title in the previous two years.