1973 Copa Libertadores
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | February 2 – July 6 |
| Teams | 19 (from 9 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Independiente (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Colo-Colo |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 65 |
| Goals scored | 187 (2.88 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Carlos Caszely (9 goals) |
← 1972 1974 → | |
Copa Libertadores 1973 was won by defending champions Independiente of Argentina after defeating Colo Colo of Chile in a third decisive game. The third match which ended 2–1 in extra time was necessary after the previous two leg matches ended in draws. Their second consecutive title made Independiente the first team in the tournament's history to win four titles.
The Venezuelan club teams Deportivo Italia and Deportivo Galicia did not participate in the Copa Libertadores due to internal problems with the Venezuelan Football Federation.
Qualified teams
Draw
The champions and runners-up of each football association were drawn into the same group along with another football association's participating teams. Three clubs from Argentina competed as Independiente was champion of the 1972 Copa Libertadores. They entered the tournament in the Semifinals.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Group stage
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SLO | WIL | RIV | ORI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Lorenzo | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 10 | Semifinals | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Jorge Wilstermann | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 7 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | River Plate | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 5 | 0–4 | 2–2 | — | 7–1 | ||
| 4 | Oriente Petrolero | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 19 | −14 | 2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BOT | PAL | NAC | PEÑ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Botafogo | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 9 | Semifinals | — | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Palmeiras | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 9 | 3–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Nacional | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Peñarol | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COL | EME | NAC | UES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colo-Colo | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 8 | Semifinals | — | 5–1 | 5–1 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Emelec | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 7 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | El Nacional | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 5 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Unión Española | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |
Group 4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MIL | CAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millonarios | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 3 | Semifinals | — | 6–2 | |
| 2 | Deportivo Cali | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 1 | 0–0 | — |
Group 5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CER | OLI | SCR | UNI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 9 | Semifinals | — | 4–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Olimpia | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 3 | Sporting Cristal | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | ||
| 4 | Universitario | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — |
Semi-finals
- The five previous group leaders formed two new groups of three which included the 1972 Copa Libertadores defending champion Independiente.
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | IND | SLO | MIL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Independiente | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | Qualified to the Final | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | San Lorenzo | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Millonarios | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | COL | CER | BOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colo-Colo | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 5 | Qualified to the Final | — | 4–0 | 3–3 | |
| 2 | Cerro Porteño | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 4 | 5–1 | — | 3–2 | ||
| 3 | Botafogo | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — |
Finals
First leg
| 22 May 1973 | Independiente | 1–1 | Colo-Colo | Avellaneda |
Second leg
| 29 May 1973 | Colo-Colo | 0–0 | Independiente | Santiago |
Extra match
| 6 June 1973 | Independiente | 2–1 | Colo-Colo | Montevideo |
Champion
| Copa Libertadores 1973 Winners |
|---|
Independiente Fourth Title |