28 December 1971 - It's Artime For Nacional

On 28 December 1971, a brace from striker Luis Artime helped Nacional claim their first Intercontinental Cup, beating Panathinaikos 2-1.

Nacional qualified for the competition by winning the 1971 Copa Libertadores and were scheduled to play European Cup holders Ajax. But they Dutch declined, so Panathinaikos, who lost to Ajax in the European Cup final, took their place.

They played the first leg in Greece on 15 December, where a second-half equalizer from Artime (pictured) secured a 1-1 draw. The teams then met thirteen days later in Uruguay for the second leg.

Playing in front of a crowd of about 63,000, Artime continued to find the net for Nacional, putting them up 2-0 with goals in the 34th and 74th minutes. Antonis Antoniadis scored for Panathinaikos in the 89th minute, but it was too late for a rally and the series ended 3-1 to Nacional on aggregate.

It was the first of three Intercontinental Cups for Nacional, who won it again in 1980 and 1988.

9 June 1971 - Estudiantes Get Taken To School

On 9 June 1971, Nacional won their first Copa Libertadores, beating three-time defending champions Estudiantes in a playoff.

It was the fourth appearance in the final for both teams, but that is where the similarities in their histories ended. Nacional had lost all three of their previous appearances, including a loss to Estudiantes in the 1969 final, while Estudiantes had also won in 1968 and 1970, giving them a perfect record.

The final was played over two legs and decided on points. They met in La Plata for the first leg on 26 May, with Estudiantes taking a 1-0 win. But in the second leg, played in Montevideo on 2 June, Nacional won by the same margin, sending the teams to a playoff to decide the title.

They met at the neutral venue of the Estadio Nacional in Lima, where Nacional again set the margin at 1-0 with a 22md-minute goal from midfielder Víctor Espárrago. They then broke form by adding another from striker Luis Artime, his tournament-best tenth goal, to stretch the final margin to 2-0 and take the trophy from Estudiantes.

Nacional returned to the final twice more, winning it both times (1980, 1988), while Estudiantes made it back in 2009 and won.

28 December 1971 - It's Artime For Nacional

On 28 December 1971, a brace from striker Luis Artime helped Nacional claim their first Intercontinental Cup, beating Panathinaikos 2-1.

Nacional qualified for the competition by winning the 1971 Copa Libertadores and were scheduled to play European Cup holders Ajax. But they Dutch declined, so Panathinaikos, who lost to Ajax in the European Cup final, took their place.

They played the first leg in Greece on 15 December, where a second-half equalizer from Artime (pictured) secured a 1-1 draw. The teams then met thirteen days later in Uruguay for the second leg.

Playing in front of a crowd of about 63,000, Artime continued to find the net for Nacional, putting them up 2-0 with goals in the 34th and 74th minutes. Antonis Antoniadis scored for Panathinaikos in the 89th minute, but it was too late for a rally and the series ended 3-1 to Nacional on aggregate.

It was the first of three Intercontinental Cups for Nacional, who won it again in 1980 and 1988.