IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - COPA LIBERTADORES
Picture : Enzo Pérez became the Argentine player with the most games (95) in the history of Copa Libertadores (95), equaling D'Alessadro's mark.
Copa Libertadores: statistics on group stage match-day 1 (3-5 April)
*Among 32 participants of Copa Libertadores 2024, 4 took part in each of the last 8 editions of the competition: Nacional, River Plate, Flamengo and Palmeiras. Only the Uruguayan club was not champion of the tournament in that period.
*Enzo Pérez, having played for Estudiantes La Plata against Huachipato (1-1), became the Argentine player with the most games (95) in the history of Copa Libertadores (95), equaling Andrés D'Alessandro's mark.
It’s curious that, being a midfielder, Enzo Pérez has played one of his 95 Copa Libertadores games as a goalkeeper. On 19 May 2021, River Plate (where he played at that time), missed all 4 rostered goalkeepers, along with many outfielders, due to a COVID-19 outbreak within. With no substitutes available, the injured Pérez volunteered to play in goal against Independiente Santa Fe. River Plate won the game 2-1, Pérez held the whole match in goal, made a number of saves and was awarded as the man of the match.
*Carlos Bacca (Colombia) took 13 years to score again in a CONMEBOL competition. His last goal had been in the 2011 Copa Libertadores against Chiapas, also with Junior Barranquilla, and now he did it again with Junior, in away game against Botafogo (3-1).
*Junior Barranquilla led 3-0 against Botafogo already after 41 minutes. Never before in the Copa Libertadores history a non-Brazilian team led with such advantage vs a Brazilian away at so early stage of match.
*Flamengo (1-1 vs Millonarios) have scored in 28th consecutive games in the Copa Libertadores: the longest such streak in the history of the tournament.
Last time they failed to score on 27 May 2021 (0-0 vs Vélez Sarsfield).
*Pedro has scored his 20th goal for Flamengo in Copa Libertadores. He surpassed Bruno Henrique (19) and became Flamengo's 2nd top scorer in the tournament, only behind Gabriel Barbosa (30).
*Alianza Lima (1-1 vs Fluminense) failed to win their 19th consecutive home game in Copa Libertadores: the longest such negative series in the history of tournament.
The next is this ranking is another Peruvian club, Sport Boys (16 home games without a win between 1967 and 2001).
*In the meantime, Alianza finally managed to score at home against a Brazilian rival after 4 such games without scoring.
*Bolívar achieved their largest victory (4-0 vs Palestino) in Copa Libertadores outside of Bolivia, equaling another 4-0 (vs Cerro Porteño in 2023).
Bolívar had also two large away wins in all-Bolivian clashes within Copa Libertadores (6-0 vs Jorge Wilstermann in 1979, 4-0 vs Oriente Petrolero in 1997).
No other Bolivian club managed to win an away Copa Libertadores game with more than 3-goal margin so far.
*Bruno Sávio (Bolívar) scored on the rebound of a penalty that he himself had missed. Something like this was not seen in the Copa Libertadores since 1 December 2020 (Nicolás de la Cruz for River Plate vs Athletico Paranaense).
*Peñarol (0-1 vs Rosario Central) have now 8 consecutive defeats in away games: their longest such series for any Uruguayan team in Copa Libertadores.