Nothing in South American football tops a Copa Libertadores final. With that in mind, we set off to Porto Alegre and Buenos Aires to make two short films

As we South Americans say, football was conceived in England but improved in South America. We live and breathe football and there is no better place to celebrate our love of the game than a Copa Libertadores final. Unlike in the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores final is played over two legs. Both clubs have a chance to play the role of hosts, so the atmosphere is always on fire.

The first leg: Grêmio 1-0 Lanús, Porto Alegre, Brazil

For the first leg of this year’s final, we visited Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil to watch Grêmio face Argentinian club Lanús. You might know Grêmio as the club who introduced Ronaldinho to the world but their history is much longer, richer and fuller than that. This was their fifth Copa Libertadores final and they were chasing their third title.

Their stadium, the Arena do Grêmio, deserves a special mention. It was opened in 2012 with all the features of a modern ground but it still has a standing section that is in keeping with the club’s culture and history. As you can see from our film, the atmosphere was epic.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest First leg: Grêmio 1-0 Lanús, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The second leg: Lanús 1-2 Grêmio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

For the second leg the following week we traveled to Lanús, a neighbourhood in the south of Buenos Aires. Lanús have a small fanbase and they were in Argentina’s third division as recently as 1981, but this club has a huge heart – as they showed in the semi-finals. Lanús were 3-0 down to the mighty River Plate midway through the second leg but scored four goals in 45 minutes to win 4-3 on aggregate and make it to their first ever Copa Libertadores final.

The club is run by supporters who work for free, for the love of their club and community. The whole community was supporting the club – not just Lanús fans but the whole country – because this was the 14th time teams from Argentina and Brazil had faced each others in a Copa Libertadores final. Sadly for the home fans, Grêmio scored twice in the first half to take a 3-0 aggregate lead. Lanús scored from penalty in the second half but it was too little too late.

If you ever want to understand how football feels in South America, come spend some time with fans at a Copa Libertadores game. It is unlike anything else in the world.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Second leg: Lanús 1-2 Grêmio, Buenos Aires.

Follow Copa90 on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter