Chivas Guadalajara fell short in their bid to become the first Mexican club to win Copa Libertadores, the storied South American club tournament, despite a strong performance from Kansas City Wizards 2011 signing Omar Bravo. Bravo assisted on a first-half goal that brought Chivas level with Brazilian giants Internacional. After Inter rebounded to score three straight and seal victory, Bravo converted a close-range rebound in second-half stoppage time for his 5th goal of the tournament.
Chivas entered the match trailing 2-1 on aggregate after dropping the series opener at Estadio Omnilife in Guadalajara.
Chivas took a 1-0 lead on the night in the 43rd minute when midfielder Marco Fabian lashed home an overhead kick with a spectacular effort. Mario de Luna played the ball to the head of Omar Bravo, who was marked closely by an Inter defender. Bravo made an acrobatic play to head the ball into the path of Fabian, who shielded the ball before cracking a shot inside the back post past helpless goalkeeper Renan Soares.
Chivas’ 1-0 lead, which would have sent the game into extra time had it held up, lasted until the 62nd minute when Rafel Sobis pulled Internacional level on the night. The ball started wide on the left with Kleber, who expertly bent a cross behind the Chivas back line into the path of Sobis, who redirected it past Luis Michel. The goal tied the match 1-1 and put Inter up on aggregate by a 3-2 margin.
Inter then extended their lead in the 76th minute through an outstanding individual effort from Leandro. The substitute attacker latched onto a loose ball at the half line, took a touch around a defender, carried all the way into the penalty area and fired a shot just underneath Luis Michel. The Chivas goalkeeper, who made several outstanding plays on the night, got a fingertip to the shot but could not push it off target.
Chivas’ comeback chances were dealt a blow in the 86th minute when Omar Arellano was sent off for a hard two-footed challenge against Internacional’s talented Argentine playmaker D’Alessandro.
The Brazilians padded their lead in the 90th minute, as Guiliano showed off his footwork at the top of the area. With a pair of Chivas defenders surrounding him, Guiliano paused before chipping the ball over the legs of the Chivas players and stepping through the double team. Once behind the defense, he lofted the ball over on-rushing Luis Michel to seal victory.
Bravo pulled a goal back late for Chivas to record his 5th goal of the tournament, good for a tie for 6th place. Chivas earned a free kick 22 yards from goal, which Adolfo Bautista lashed off the crossbar. The ball deflected off the Internacional goalkeeper into the path of Bravo, who slammed it home from close range.
Bravo’s shot turned out to be the final kick of the ball, as the referee blew the final whistle before Inter’s restart, giving Internacional their second Copa Libertadores championship. Inter first won the tournament in 2006 and went on to win the FIFA Club World Cup that year over FC Barcelona of Spain.
Immediately after the conclusion of the game, a scuffle broke out between players and support staff from Inter and Chivas. During a post-game interview, Chivas players indicated that an Internacional supporter had spit on one of their teammates, igniting the conflict.
For a full match report from Chivas (en Español), click here.