River Edge out Boca after Extra Time to Win Historic Copa Libertadores

River Plate won the Copa Libertadores by beating their fiercest rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 after extra time on Sunday, bringing an end to a final tainted by violence and moved more than six thousand miles away from Argentina, reports AFP. 

Boca took the lead through Dario Benedetto but Lucas Pratto equalised before Juan Quintero and Gonzalo Martinez both scored in extra time to win a fittingly dramatic contest for River.

It means River prevailed 5-3 on aggregate after the first leg finished 2-2 and the club reclaim the trophy they had last won in 2015, lifting it for the fourth time in their history.

Postponed on three occasions and then relocated from Buenos Aires to Madrid, the supporters of these two great clubs showed in the Santiago Bernabeu why this fixture had been billed as one of football's greatest ever.

Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Diego Godin were among the 62,200 in attendance.

But, despite the bouncing huddles in the streets, the plumes of blue and red smoke, the swinging scarves, fluttering flags and fans that were chanting in their seats three hours before kick-off, there was nothing to extinguish the lingering sense of regret.

There was no repeat of the scenes that cast a shadow over Argentinian football and saw the original game at River's El Monumental on November 24 postponed, when around 50 fans attacked Boca's team bus and left some of their players injured.

Madrid, which will also host the Champions League final in June, was chosen in part because of its record of hosting major events and the security, which included around 2,500 police officers, did its job before kick-off.

Fans were separated into zones either side of the stadium and had to go through checks even to enter the area...