1976 Copa Libertadores
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 25 – July 30 |
| Teams | 21 (from 10 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Cruzeiro (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  River Plate |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 76 |
| Goals scored | 208 (2.74 per match) |
← 1975 1977 → | |
The Copa Libertadores 1976 was the 17th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. The tournament began on February 23 and ended on July 30.
Cruzeiro won the competition, being the first Brazilian team, after Pelé's Santos, to win the continental competition. During the tournament, Cruzeiro suffered a great setback: the loss of the player Roberto Batata, who died in a car accident.
Qualified teams
The participating teams were divided into five groups, in which teams of the same country were placed in the same group. Each country was represented by two teams. The countries were paired as follows:
- Group 1:
Argentina and 
Venezuela - Group 2:
Bolivia and 
Ecuador - Group 3:
Brazil and 
Paraguay - Group 4:
Colombia and 
Peru - Group 5:
Chile and 
Uruguay
Group stage
Group 1 (Argentina, Venezuela)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RIV
|
EST
|
 POR
|
DGA
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 10 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| Estudiantes
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 9 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||
| Portuguesa
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 5 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | ||
| Galicia
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 | −12 | 0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 2 (Bolivia, Ecuador)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  LDQ
|
CDC
|
 BOL
|
GUA
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.D.U. Quito
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 8 | Qualified to the 1st Place Playoff | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| Deportivo Cuenca
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | ||
| Bolívar
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 6 | 3–2 | 4–2 | — | 7–1 | ||
| Guabirá
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15 | −13 | 2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 3 (Brazil, Paraguay)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CRU
|
INT
|
 OLI
|
SLU
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruzeiro
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 11 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 5–4 | 4–1 | 4–1 | |
| Internacional
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 7 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| Olimpia
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–3 | ||
| Sportivo Luqueño
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 4 (Colombia, Peru)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  ALI
|
 MIL
|
AUG
|
ISF
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza Lima
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| Millonarios
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | ||
| Alfonso Ugarte
|
6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| Santa Fe
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 4 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 5 (Chile, Uruguay)
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  PEÑ
|
 UES
|
PAL
|
NAC
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peñarol
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | Qualified to Semi-Finals | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Unión Española
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| Palestino
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 5 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| Nacional
|
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
1st Place Playoff
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L.D.U. Quito
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 | Qualified to the Semi-Finals |
| 2 | Deportivo Cuenca
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| April 22 First Stage | L.D.U. Quito | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Deportivo Cuenca | Guayaquil, Ecuador |
Carrera  66'Rivadeneira 115' |
Report | Villagra 63' |
Stadium: Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Óscar Veiro (Argentina) |
Semi-finals
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CRU
|
LDQ
|
ALI
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruzeiro
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 8 | Qualified to the Final | — | 4–1 | 7–1 | |
| L.D.U. Quito
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 2 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | ||
| Alianza Lima
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RIV
|
IND
|
PEÑ
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | Qualified to the Final | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| Independiente
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | ||
| Peñarol
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |
Source: [citation needed]
Playoffs
| Date | Location | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 July | Buenos Aires | River Plate
|
1 - 0 | Independiente
|
Finals
| Cruzeiro | 4 – 1 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Nelinho 22' Palhinha 29', 40'Valdo 80' |
Más 63' |
| River Plate | 2 – 1 | Cruzeiro |
|---|---|---|
| J. J. López 10' Pedro González 76' |
Palhinha 48' |
| Cruzeiro | 3 – 2 | River Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Nelinho 24' Eduardo 55'Joãozinho 88' |
Más 59' Urquiza 64' |
| Copa Libertadores 1976 Champions |
|---|
 Cruzeiro 1st title |