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.