Cruzeiro qualified to the 2009 Copa Libertadores as the 3rd place team in the
2008 Série A. This gave them the Brazil 3 spot and a direct qualification into the Second Stage. Estudiantes qualified into the Argentina 5 spot by having the 2nd best
average of the 2007 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, & 2008 Apertura tournaments. The spot qualified them into the First Stage.
Estudiantes in the First Stage Estudiantes started this year's Copa Libertadores run in the
First Stage in a two-legged tie against
Peruvian club
Sporting Cristal for a spot in
Group 5. Sporting Cristial took the
first leg, played in
Lima, 2−1.
Enzo Pérez scored the lone goal for Estudiantes. In the
second leg, Estudiantes'
Ramón Lentini scored the lone goal of the match, assuring that Estudiantes advanced to the
Second Stage on the
away goals tie-breaker. ===
Group 5 of the Second Stage=== Cruzeiro was drawn into Group 5, with Estudiantes advancing into it. They were joined by the defending
Ecuadorian champion,
Deportivo Quito, and the
Bolivian 2008 Apertura champion,
Universitario de Sucre. Their
first group match was against each other in
Belo Horizonte. Cruzeiro won 3−0 with goals by
Fernandinho and
Kléber (two). The
next group match between the both of them was their respective fifth group-play match. Playing in
La Plata, Estudiantes won 4−0 with goals by
Juan Sebastián Verón,
Gastón Fernández, and
Cristian Sánchez Prette (two). Cruzeiro
second group match was
on the road against Deportivo Quito.
Ramires scored for Cruzeiro before
Giovanny Caicedo tied it for Deportivo Quito. They stayed on the road (to
Sucre) to play Universitario.
Thiago Ribeiro scored the lone goal of
the match to get the win. The next two game Cruzeiro played were at home. Universitario visited first and lost
the match thanks to two goals by
Wellington Paulista. In Cruzeiro's
last match of group play, they played host to Deportivo Quito, whom they beat 2−0 with goals by
Léo Fortunato and
Wagner. Estudiantes continued group play by hosting Universitario.
Juan Manuel Salgueiro scored the only goal for Estudiantes, and subsequently
the win. They then went to
Quito to play Deportivo Quito. Estudiantes lost
the match 1−0. Deportivo Quito then visited Estudiantes for their
next match. Estudiantes soundly won the match 4−0 thanks to a goal by
Enzo Pérez and a
hat-trick by
Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes'
last match of group play ended in a scoreless tie against Universitario. Cruzeiro and Estudiantes finished 1 & 2, respectively, which advanced them to the Round of 16. ===Cruzeiro in
the knockout stages=== Cruzeiro was
seeded 5 for the
last stages of the tournament. In the round of 16, they played against
Chilean club
Universidad de Chile (seeded 12). The
first leg was played in
Santiago. Cruzeiro won the match 1−2 with goals by
Soares and
Marquinhos Paraná.
second leg, played at home, was won by a lone goal from
Kléber. Cruzeiro advanced on points 6−0. Cruzeiro's quarterfinal match-up was against fellow
Brazilian side
São Paulo (seeded 4). The
first leg, played at home, was won 2−1 with goals by
Leonardo Silva and
Zé Carlos. The
second leg, played in
São Paulo, was also won 0−2 with goals by
Henrique and
Kléber. Cruzeiro advanced on points 6−0. Cruzeiro's semifinal match-up was against another
Brazilian side, top-seeded
Grêmio. Cruzeiro won the
first leg 3−1 thanks to goals by
Wellington Paulista,
Wágner, and
Fabinho. The
second leg, played in
Porto Alegre, ended in a 2−2 tie.
Wellington Paulista scored twice for Cruzeiro in as many minutes, but Grêmio came back and tied it in the second half. Cruzeiro advanced 4−1 on points. As of the finals, Cruzeiro is the most effective team in the tournament, with an efficacy rating of 80.56% (9 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). ===Estudiantes in
the knockout stages=== Estudiantes was
seeded 10 for the
last stages of the tournament. Estudiantes' round of 16 match-up was against
Paraguayan club
Libertad. Seeded 7, Libertad was the first team to advance to the round of 16. Estudiantes won the
first match 3−0 with goals by
Gastón Fernández (with the fastest goal of the tournament) and
Mauro Boselli (2). A 0−0 tie was enough in the
second leg to advance Estudiantes 4−1 on points. The quarterfinals match-up was against
Uruguayan club
Defensor Sporting (seeded 15). Estudiantes won both legs 1−0 with goals by
Leandro Desábato (
first leg) and
Leandro Benítez (
second leg). Estudiantes advanced 6−0 on points. In the semifinals, Estudiantes met another Uruguayan club, 3 seeded
Nacional. In the
first leg, played at home, Estudiantes won with a lone goal by
Diego Galván. In the
second leg, Estudiantes won 1−2 with a pair of goals by
Mauro Boselli. Estudiantes advanced 6−0 on points. As of the finals, Estudiantes has an efficacy rating of 69.05% (9 wins, 2 draws, 3 loss). Striker
Mauro Boselli is currently tied as the top-scorer of the tournament, with 7 goals. ===
Knockout stages summary=== ==Match details==