Postponed Copa Libertadores Second Leg Rearranged for December 8-9 at Neutral Venue
The second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors has been re-scheduled for the weekend of December 8-9, but will not take place in Argentina.
The match was scheduled to take place last Saturday, November 24, but it was delayed by 24 hours after home fans attacked the Boca team bus on its way to the stadium, shattering windows and injuring some players, with two taken to hospital.
Boca did not feel that their players were in the right state of mind to play the next day and River agreed that they would not want to win under such circumstances, forcing South American governing body Conmebol to postpone the match again.
Conmebol met on Tuesday to decide the fate of the match. They chose not to disqualify River, but the second leg will take place at a neutral venue outside of Argentina, which will be decided "as soon as possible", BBC Sport reports.
This is the first time that the hated rivals which contest Argentina's Superclásico have met in the final of the Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
The match was billed as La Final de Todos los Tiempos - 'the Final for All Time' - and the president of Argentina Mauricio Macri said that "whoever loses will take 20 years to recover."
The first leg finished 2-2 at La Bombonera, leaving the tie in the balance. The away goals rule does not apply so another draw of any score will see the match go to extra time and penalties.
This is the last year that the final will be played over two legs. From 2019 onwards, it will be a single match at a neutral venue.