River vs Boca: 6 fun facts about the Libertadores final

In LatinAmerican Post we show you some curiosities of the Argentinian classic, which will be this Saturday, November 10

Next Saturday, November 10 will be a historic day for football, not only in Argentine or American but for world football. For the first time in the history of the  Libertadores Cup, the Argentine classic, River Plate vs. Boca Juniors, will be the grand finale of the contest.

Leer en español: ¡River vs Boca! 6 datos curiosos de la gran final de la Libertadores

"The winner will have the absolute glory and the one who will not continue to fight," said team coach Marcelo Gallardo, denoting the importance of this final in international football.

For his part, the statistician and sports journalist, Alexis Martín-Tamayo, better known as Mister Chip (one of the most important worldwide), dared to declare this event as the beginning of the 'Third World War', due to the rivalry between both teams.

From LatinAmerican Post we bring you some curious facts that revolve around this clash and that demonstrate the importance of it in sport:

The record

The meeting on Saturday will be, according to Goal.com, the match number 372 among these teams, including official and friendly matches, as well as professionals and amateurs. Also, the web portal clarifies that, historically, Boca has the advantage with 134 wins, over 122 of River. While 115 matches ended in a draw.

The first time

According to Infobae, on August 2, 1908,  went down in history as the day on which the first Argentine classic in history was played. The match was played as a friendly and ended with a 2-1 result in favor of the 'Xeneixe' team.

Biggest win

A legendary 6-0 is, until today, the bulkiest result between the two teams of the Argentine capital. According to Olé, the match took place on December 23, 1928, and again, Boca Juniors was praised.

Likewise, the newspaper La Nación described in one of its publications the 'madness' of that party: three injured of River, two of them by a clash between themselves that left them with a head injury. The game ended up with eight players from 'La Banda' against the eleven of Boca Juniors. Of course, the win was to be expected.

Now, Olé clarifies that in the history of River there are also two great historical goals on his staunch rival, both by four goals difference: the first in 1941 with a result of 5-1; and the second, a 4-0 in 1942.

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Stadium on loan

Another curious story between both teams is the one occurred on June 24, 1984, in which Boca played as a local in the Monumental Stadium. That's right, the 'Xeneixes' played at home in their neighbor's stadium.

La Redó portal explains that the situation occurred due to the sanction that then had The Bombonera, and before the bad time that lived Boca, the president of the time, Domingo Corigliano formally requested the loan of the sports scene to his namesake River, Hugo Santilli. The match ended with a draw of 1-1 and one more anecdote to tell.

International clashes

-According to Futbolred, both teams have met 24 times for the Copa Libertadores, with a balance of 10 Boca Juniors victories; 8 of River Plate (one of them by a 3-0 given by CONMEBOL in 2015) and 6 draws.

-With regard to the South American Cup, they have met twice: round-trip matches in the semifinal of 2014, which was classified to the team 'Millionaire' with a draw and a win.

-Finally, there is the South American Supercopa of 1994, in which, according to Infobae, Boca eliminated River Plate in the penalty shoot-out, after finishing both games in a draw: 0-0 at the Monumental and 1-1 at La Bombonera.

Will there be visitors' entrance?

As previously stated, the first leg of the final of the 2018 Copa Libertadores will be next Saturday, November 10, at La Bombonera, while the second leg will take place on Saturday, November 24, at the Monumental.

The series will be held on Saturdays, due to the fact that the previously established dates (November 7 and 28), intersected with the final summit of leaders of the G20, held in Argentina, reported the newspaper MARCA.

For this reason, the Argentine government asked CONMEBOL to change dates, taking IGNORE INTO account the security of the international leaders who are in the country, as well as that of the fans who live the party of the final.

In relation to the latter, the Argentine Football Association (AFA), together with the directors of both clubs, reported that the final will be played without visiting fans in the stadiums, CNN reported.

"Despite the local and international appeal generated by the Argentine super classic with the presence of its two bids, this measure can create problems for members of both clubs," the AFA said in a press release.

Also, Claudio Tapia, president of the AFA, thanked the intentions of the first president of the Argentineans, Mauricio Macri, who had requested that both parties be played with fans of the two teams. "Despite this decision, Boca Juniors and River Plate value and recognize the interest of President Mauricio Macri to promote the presence of the visiting public in these two finals," said Tapia.

LatinAmerican Post | Christopher Ramírez Hernández

Translated from: '¡River vs Boca! 6 datos curiosos de la gran final de la Libertadores'

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