14 July 2005 - We Knew The Brazilians Were Going To Win

On 14 July 2005, São Paulo won their third Copa Libertadores, beating Atlético Paranaense in the tournament's first all-Brazilian final.

Eight days earlier, the teams met at Atlético's Estádio Beira-Rio for the first leg, where the hosts were unlucky not a claim a win. After taking a 14th-minute lead, they surrendered an own-goal in the 52nd minute to draw 1-1. But their luck was even worse in the second leg.

Playing before a crowd of 71,986 at the Morumbi inSão Paulo, the two-time champions went up with a header from forward Márcio Amoroso in the 16th minute and held a 1-0 lead at the break. Another header in the 52nd minute--this time from center back Fabão--doubled the lead, then an easy tap-in by forward Luizão extended the margin eighteen minutes later.

With one minute remaining, substitute forward Diego Tardelli delivered the final goal (and the final insult) when he beat a defender in the box and sent the ball toward goal where it should have been an easy save for Atlético keeper Diego Costa Silva. He was caught off-guard, though, and the ball trickled through at the near post to cap the day as a 4-0 victory for São Paulo.

Not only was it the first all-Brazilian final in tournament history, it was the first one in which both teams came from the same country.