1986 Copa Interamericana

1986 Copa Interamericana The River Plate players with the cup Copa Interamericana Alajuelense CRC 30px 0 River Plate ARG 30px 3 on aggregate First leg 0 0 July 25, 1987 Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Alajuela José Antonio Garza y Ochoa (Mexico)https://www.nacion.com/puro-deporte/buzon-de-rodrigo/P5MB25IY4FGGBESFB22UYFKA5Y/story/ 1987: Liga-River Plate nacion.com 2 January 2026 15,991 Second leg 0 3 August 16, 1987 Estadio Monumental Buenos Aires Juan Escobar (Paraguay) 20,000 1985 1988 The 1986 Copa Interamericana was the tenth edition of the Copa Interamericana, the annual football match contested between the winners of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the Copa Libertadores. It was played over two legs between Alajuelense of Costa Rica and River Plate of Argentina. The first leg was played at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, on 25 July 1987 and the second leg was played on 16 August 1987 at the Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires. Both teams were appearing in the competition for the first time. The teams had qualified for the tournament by winning the two seasonal continental competitions. River Plate were the reigning champions of the Copa Libertadores, winning the 1986 final against Colombian team América de Cali 3–1 on aggregate. Alajuelense won 1986 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, beating Surinamese team S.V. Transvaal 6–2 over two legs. A crowd of 15,991 observed the first leg at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, which resulted in a goalless draw. Watched by a crowd of 20,000 at the Estadio Monumental, River Plate took the lead in the first half when Jorge Villazán scored. Juan Gilberto Funes extended their lead in the second half, and Héctor Enrique added one further seven minutes later. Following a 3–0 scoreline, River Plate secured their first Copa Interamericana. Background The Copa Interamericana was an international competition, played between 1969 and 1998, which paired the champions of the South American tournament Copa Libertadores and the North American CONCACAF Champions' Cup to determine the best team in the Americas.Aguilar Esquivel Israel 2023-08-17 Qué es la Copa Interamericana, el torneo de Conmebol y Concacaf que podría volver en 2024 https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2023/08/17/que-es-la-copa-interamericana-el-torneo-de-conmebol-y-concacaf-que-podria-volver-en-2024/ 2025-12-22 infobae es-ES 2023-08-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20230824092235/https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2023/08/17/que-es-la-copa-interamericana-el-torneo-de-conmebol-y-concacaf-que-podria-volver-en-2024/ live It was specially relevant for the North American teams, as it was the highest international honour their side could achieve.Flores Gael Gonzalez 2025-12-09 El Derbi de las Américas, heredero de la Copa Interamericana https://www.clarosports.com/futbol/el-derbi-de-las-americas-heredero-de-la-copa-interamericana/ 2025-12-22 ClaroSports es 2026-01-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20260122101331/https://www.clarosports.com/futbol/el-derbi-de-las-americas-heredero-de-la-copa-interamericana/ live River Plate qualified for the match as the reigning Copa Libertadores winners. They had won the 1986 Copa Libertadores final by beating Colombian team América de Cali 3–1 on aggregate.Copa Libertadores de América https://www.rsssf.org/sacups/copalib.html 2026-02-14 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Stokkermans Karel 2015-05-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20150524152408/http://www.rsssf.com/sacups/copalib.html live They were making their first appearance in the Copa Interamericana.Gorgazzi and Stokkermans Osvaldo José and Karel Copa Interamericana https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/intam.html 2025-12-22 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2023-02-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20230202091334/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/intam.html live Alajuelense qualified for the competition as a result of winning the 1986 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. They had beaten Surinamese side S.V. Transvaal 6–2 over two legs to become the first Costa Rican team to win a North American trophy. Therefore, they were making their first appearance in the Copa Interamericana as the first Costa Rican team to compete in the tournament.Calvo Rodrigo 2024-02-11 Alajuelense logró el primer título de Concacaf para Costa Rica https://buzonderodrigo.com/liga-logro-hace-35-anos-el-primer-titulo-de-clubes-de-concacaf-para-costa-rica/ 2025-12-22 Buzón de Rodrigo es-CR 2025-10-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20251015105810/https://buzonderodrigo.com/liga-logro-hace-35-anos-el-primer-titulo-de-clubes-de-concacaf-para-costa-rica/ live First leg Summary thumb|Goalkeeper Alejandro González withstood River Plate's offensive pressure. The first leg was held at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, the home ground of Alajuelense. River Plate manager Carlos Griguol fielded a 4–3–3 formation for the match, as he expected his team to be superior to their opposition. The hosts would reply with a defensive scheme.2022-08-16 River campeón de la Copa Interamericana 1987 https://riverelmasgrande.com/contenido/4368/river-campeon-copa-interamericana-1987 2025-12-22 River, el más grande es 2024-11-11 https://web.archive.org/web/20241111141052/https://riverelmasgrande.com/contenido/4368/river-campeon-copa-interamericana-1987 live Nonetheless, Alajuelense stood up to the Argentine side, coming close on several occasions to the goal defended by Sergio Goycochea through Juan Cayasso, Álvaro Solano and Óscar Ramírez. They would be forced into a substitution in the 35th minute, when Miguel Ángel Vargas sustained an injury. Fellow defender Claudio Benavidez was his replacement.Calvo Rodrigo 2020-07-26 Alajuelense 0 - River Plate 0: Costa Rica sueña con el título de América https://buzonderodrigo.com/alajuelense-0-river-plate-0-costa-rica-suena-con-el-titulo-de-america/ 2025-12-22 Buzón de Rodrigo es Although Alajuelense eventually abandoned their attacking approach, the visitors failed to deliver on their desired performance. River Plate had bettered their offensive efforts in the second half, creating numerous chances to open the scoring, but they ran into goalkeeper Alejandro González, who fended them off successfully and thus carried the tie into the second leg. River Plate came away with a very different impression on Alajuelense, as their captain Américo Gallego later admitted: "What I liked most about the Costa Rican team was that they wanted to respect the spectacle and played toe-to-toe with our team. It was undoubtedly a very tough match". Carlos Griguol also praised Alajuelense on their showing: "The result doesn’t surprise me. I had heard about them and how well prepared they are." Czechoslovak manager Josef Bouška addressed his team's performance, stating: "Costa Rican football can compete with that of any place in the world". Coming into the second leg, he further added: "We'll go to Buenos Aires with the mindset of performing well and avoiding a catastrophe." Details July 25, 1987 Alajuelense CRC 0–0 ARG River Plate https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/intam86.html Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Alajuela 15,991 José Antonio Garza y Ochoa (Mexico) _black_stripes _blackstripes3 _black_stripes _band_white _shorts FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 000000 FF0000 Alajuelense _shoulder_stripes_red_stripes _river1986h _shoulder_stripes_red_stripes _river8286h _color_3_stripes_red FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 000000 FFFFFF River Plate GK 1CRC Alejandro GonzálezDF CRC Miguel Ángel Vargas 35DF URU Hernán SosaDF CRC Mauricio MonteroDF CRC José Carlos ChavesMF CRC Álvaro SolanoMF 14CRC Ronald MoraMF CRC Oscar RamírezMF CRC Juan Cayasso (c)FW CRC Jorge UlateFWCRC Elías AriasSubstitutes:GK CRC Carlos PorrasDF CRC Claudio Benavidez 35 DF CRC Ricardo ChacónMF CRC José Mario Rodríguez FW CRC Guillermo GuardiaManager:CSK Josef Bouška GK 1 ARG Sergio Goycochea DF 4 ARG Jorge Borelli DF 2 URU Nelson Gutiérrez DF 6 ARG Oscar Ruggeri DF 3 ARG Alejandro Montenegro MF 8 ARG Néstor Gorosito MF 5 ARG Américo Gallego (c)MF 10ARG Omar PalmaFW 7ARG Claudio Caniggia FW 9ARG Juan Gilberto FunesFW 11ARG Roque AlfaroSubstitutes:GK 12ARG Alberto Vivalda DF 13ARG Ernesto CortiMF 14ARG Héctor Enrique MF 15ARG Claudio Morresi FW 16ARG Ramón Centurión Manager:ARG Carlos Griguol Assistant refereesJuan Pablo Escobar (Guatemala)Rodolfo Martínez (Honduras) Second leg Summary At the Estadio Monumental, the home side decided to go all out from the start, taking an offensive approach. Alajuelense opted to sit back, looking to take advantage of any counter-attack prospects that arose. They managed to cancel their opposition out, steering clear of danger with Ronald Mora being the centrepiece of their defensive production, but would ultimately concede the opening goal in the 16th minute.Calvo Rodrigo 2020-08-23 River Plate 3 - Alajuelense 0: Golpe al sueño de ganar la Interamericana https://buzonderodrigo.com/river-plate-3-alajuelense-0-golpe-al-sueno-de-ganar-la-interamericana/ 2025-12-22 Buzón de Rodrigo es-CR 2026-01-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20260120023650/https://buzonderodrigo.com/river-plate-3-alajuelense-0-golpe-al-sueno-de-ganar-la-interamericana/ live Juan Gilberto Funes dribbled his way into the box and unveiled a low cross towards Uruguayan winger Jorge Villazán, who tapped the ball into the net.River Campeón Interamericano https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/1098/55908/river-campeon-interamericano 2025-12-22 El Gráfico es 2023-03-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20230309201853/https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/1098/55908/river-campeon-interamericano live The renewed scoreline dealt a blow to the visitors' morale, as they struggled to get to the opposing area. 400 River gol alajuelense en bsas.jpg River gol funes vs alajuelense 1987.jpg Juan Gilberto Funes' assist and goal that opened the scoring. The home side came out strong again in the second half, as the course of the match remained unchanged. Even though Alajuelense increased their offensive efforts, powered by Juan Cayasso, River Plate's level of play and dominance prevailed, as they extended their lead at the 60-minute mark. Américo Gallego sent a cross over to Jorge Borelli, who headed it across the penalty area for Funes to pounce on. Shortly after, the home team switched wingers when Carlos Griguol replaced Villazán with Antonio Alzamendi. Just a minute later, a loft was sent by Héctor Enrique over to Ramón Centurión, who was tussling with his marker. Alejandro González shifted his focus to the struggle, not paying attention to the trajectory of the ball as it went into the goal, sealing the match with a 3–0 scoreline. Details August 16, 1987 River Plate ARG 3–0 CRC Alajuelense Villazán 16 Funes 60 Enrique 67 https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/intam86.html Estadio Monumental Buenos Aires 20,000 Juan Escobar (Paraguay) 15:35 UTC−3 _shoulder_stripes_red_stripes _river1986h _shoulder_stripes_red_stripes _river8286h _color_3_stripes_red FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 000000 FFFFFF River Plate _blackvertical _band_white ff0000 ff0000 ff0000 000000 FF0000 Alajuelense GK 1 ARG Sergio Goycochea DF 4 ARG Rubén Darío Gómez DF 3 ARG Jorge BorelliDF 2 URU Nelson GutiérrezDF 6 ARG Oscar RuggeriMF 8 ARG Héctor Enrique MF 5 ARG Américo Gallego (c)MF 10 ARG Omar PalmaFW 7ARG Ramón Centurión FW9 ARG Juan Gilberto FunesFW 11ARG Jorge Villazán 66Substitutes:GK 12ARG Alberto Vivalda DF 13ARG Ernesto CortiMF 14ARG Roque Alfaro FW 15ARG Claudio Caniggia FW 16URU Antonio Alzamendi 66Manager:ARG Carlos Griguol GK 1CRC Alejandro GonzálezDF CRC Miguel Ángel Vargas DF URU Hernán SosaDF CRC Mauricio Montero DF CRC José Carlos ChavesMF CRC Oscar RamírezMF 14CRC Ronald MoraMF CRC Álvaro SolanoMF CRC Juan Cayasso (c)FW CRC Elías AriasFWCRC Jorge UlateSubstitutes:GK CRC Carlos Porras DF CRC Claudio Benavidez DF CRC Ricardo Chacón MF CRC José Mario Rodríguez FW CRC Guillermo Guardia Manager:CSK Josef Bouška Assistant refereesAsterio Martínez (Paraguay)Lucio González (Paraguay) See also 1987 Copa Libertadores 1987 CONCACAF Champions' Cup References Inter i i Category:Football competitions in Buenos Aires Inter Category:Copa Interamericana 1986 Category:Football matches in Costa Rica Category:Football matches in Argentina Category:1987 in Costa Rican sport Category:July 1987 sports events in North America Category:August 1987 in sports Category:Alajuela Category:1980s in Buenos Aires