# Botafogo win their first Copa Libertadores title

Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time on Saturday, beating fellow Brazilian side Atlético Mineiro 3-1 in Buenos Aires despite playing almost the entire final with 10 men.

The match changed almost immediately. After just 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore was sent off with a straight red card for a foul that caught Fausto Vera high on the head. That left Botafogo chasing the game before the final had properly settled, but the team still found a way to control the decisive moments.

Luiz Henrique opened the scoring in the 35th minute from close range. Shortly before halftime, he was fouled in the penalty area and Alex Telles converted the resulting spot kick in the 44th minute to make it 2-0. Atlético Mineiro responded right after the restart, with Eduardo Vargas heading in the team’s only goal in the 46th minute.

The final remained open for much of the second half, with Mineiro pushing for an equalizer. AP reported chances for Deyverson, Hulk and Vargas, but Botafogo held firm and added a late third through Junior Santos in stoppage time to seal the title.

The result completed a historic campaign for Botafogo, which had never before won South America’s top club competition. The club is also the last of Rio de Janeiro’s four major teams to capture the Libertadores trophy. Brazil’s sixth consecutive title in the competition was confirmed by the result, continuing a run of national dominance in the tournament.

The win also carried financial and sporting consequences beyond the night itself. Botafogo earned $23 million in prize money and a place in next year’s Club World Cup in the United States. For a club seeking to turn a big domestic and continental moment into a wider international profile, that is a significant reward.

Coach Arthur Jorge joined a small group of European managers to win the competition, according to AP. The final also marked a missed opportunity for Atlético Mineiro coach Gabriel Milito, who could have become the first Argentine to win the tournament with a Brazilian club.

On the field, Botafogo’s performance was defined by resilience after the red card and by the ability to make limited chances count. Off it, the victory gave the club’s American owner John Textor his biggest trophy to date, after a season in which his ownership model had already drawn attention and scrutiny.

The final in Buenos Aires delivered a straightforward result with a complicated shape: a team down a man, a rival pressing for a comeback, and a late goal that removed any doubt. For Botafogo, that was enough to turn a difficult start into the club’s first Libertadores title.

Citations - AP reported the 3-1 scoreline, the early red card, goal sequence and stoppage-time third goal. - AP also supplied the prize money, Club World Cup berth and context on Botafogo’s first title.