In a remarkable display of resilience, Botafogo achieved its inaugural Copa Libertadores title by defeating fellow Brazilian rivals Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final held at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium on Saturday. Despite having to play with only 10 players for a significant portion of the match, they triumphed in a memorable encounter.

The match took a dramatic turn right from the start when, within the first 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore was shown a straight red card for making dangerous contact with Fausto Vera’s head. This early dismissal set the stage for a challenging game for Botafogo, but it did not deter their determination to clinch the prestigious trophy.

With this victory, Brazil secured its sixth consecutive Copa Libertadores title, marking the 24th win in the tournament’s history, just shy of Argentina which has 25 titles. The win continued a trend of Rio de Janeiro clubs dominating the tournament, adding to the previous titles earned by Fluminense in 2023 and Flamengo in 2022.

Luiz Henrique opened the scoring for Botafogo in the 35th minute with a well-placed close-range shot. Just before halftime, he was fouled in the area, leading to a penalty that was successfully converted by Alex Telles in the 44th minute, extending their lead.

Atletico Mineiro managed to reduce the deficit shortly after the break when Eduardo Vargas scored with a header in the 46th minute. However, the evening belonged to Botafogo, and in injury time, Junior Santos, who had previously been the tournament’s leading scorer with a total of 10 goals, sealed the victory with a third goal for his team, concluding a historic night for the club.