The Copa Libertadores 1976 was the 17th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. The tournament began on February 23 and ended on July 30.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 25 – July 30 |
| Teams | 21 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cruzeiro (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  River Plate |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 76 |
| Goals scored | 208 (2.74 per match) |
Cruzeiro won the competition, being the first Brazilian team, after Pelé's Santos, to win the continental competition. During the tournament, Cruzeiro suffered a great setback: the loss of the player Roberto Batata, who died in a car crash.
Qualified teams edit
Draw edit
The champions and runners-up of each football association were drawn into the same group along with another football association's participating teams. Three clubs from Argentina competed as Independiente was champion of the 1975 Copa Libertadores. They entered the tournament in the Semifinals.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Group stage edit
Group 1 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RIV
|
EST
|
 POR
|
DGA
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Plate
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Estudiantes
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 9 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | Portuguesa
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 5 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Deportivo Galicia
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 | −12 | 0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 2 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  LDQ
|
CDC
|
 BOL
|
GUA
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LDU Quito
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 8 | Qualified to the 1st Place Playoff | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Deportivo Cuenca
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Bolívar
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 6 | 3–2 | 4–2 | — | 7–1 | ||
| 4 | Guabirá
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15 | −13 | 2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 3 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CRU
|
INT
|
 OLI
|
SLU
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruzeiro
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 11 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 5–4 | 4–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Internacional
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 7 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Olimpia
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–3 | ||
| 4 | Sportivo Luqueño
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 4 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  ALI
|
 MIL
|
AUG
|
ISF
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alianza Lima
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Millonarios
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Alfonso Ugarte
|
6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Santa Fe
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 4 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 5 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  PEÑ
|
 UES
|
PAL
|
NAC
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Unión Española
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Palestino
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 5 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Nacional
|
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
1st Place Playoff edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LDU Quito
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 | Qualified to the Semi-Finals |
| 2 | Deportivo Cuenca
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| April 22 First Stage | LDU Quito | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Deportivo Cuenca | Guayaquil, Ecuador |
Carrera  66'Rivadeneira 115' |
Report | Villagra 63' |
Stadium: Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Óscar Veiro (Argentina) |
Semi-finals edit
Group 1 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CRU
|
LDQ
|
ALI
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cruzeiro
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 8 | Qualified to the Final | — | 4–1 | 7–1 | |
| 2 | LDU Quito
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 2 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Alianza Lima
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 2 edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RIV
|
IND
|
PEÑ
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Plate
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | Qualified to the Final | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Independiente
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Peñarol
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Playoffs edit
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| River Plate
|
1–0 | Independiente
|
Finals edit
| Cruzeiro | 4 – 1 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Nelinho 22' Palhinha 29', 40'Valdo 80' |
Más 63' |
| River Plate | 2 – 1 | Cruzeiro |
|---|---|---|
| J. J. López 10' Pedro González 76' |
Palhinha 48' |
| Cruzeiro | 3 – 2 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Nelinho 24' Eduardo 55'Joãozinho 88' |
Más 59' Urquiza 64' |
| Copa Libertadores 1976 champions |
|---|
 Cruzeiro 1st title |