After a scoreless first leg in Uruguay, Penarol faces Santos in Brazil Wednesday night in the Western Hemisphere’s most presitigious club title, the Copa Libertadores (8:30 pm ET, Fox Deportes).Twenty-four years ago, Penarol’s coach Diego Aguirre scored an incredible gamewinner when Penarol won its last Copa Libertadores, finding the net in the last minute of overtime.
“It’s a great memory to have, but it’s a long time ago,” he said. “Now we have to try to do it again, bring the trophy back to Uruguay.”
Penaroldominated soccer in South America in the 1960s and in the 1980s, two spans in which it won all five of its Copa Libertadores titles and reached the final several other times. But after the title in1987, the club hadn’t been a serious contender until this year’s impressive campaign.
But in addition to playing in front of its home fans, the Santos squad will include twoplayers touted as future Brazil stars — Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso. Ganso has been cleared to play after a muscle injury that has sidelined him for severalweeks.