Botafogo Clinches First Copa Libertadores Title with 10 Men

The Brazilian club overcame an early red card to defeat Atlético Mineiro 3-1 in a historic final in Buenos Aires.

Botafogo secured their first-ever Copa Libertadores title, defeating Atlético Mineiro 3-1 in an all-Brazilian final at River Plate's Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Midfielder Gregore was sent off just 30 seconds into the match for a high challenge, forcing Botafogo to play nearly the entire game with 10 players.
Luiz Henrique opened the scoring in the 35th minute, followed by Alex Telles converting a penalty in the 44th to give Botafogo a 2-0 halftime lead.
Atlético Mineiro's Eduardo Vargas scored early in the second half, but Botafogo's Junior Santos sealed the victory with a stoppage-time goal on a counterattack.
The victory marks a turning point for the Rio de Janeiro club, which has struggled in recent decades but has seen significant improvement under U.S. owner John Textor since 2021.