Media playback is not supported on this device Highlights: River Plate beat Boca Juniors to lift cup

Juan Quintero's stunning extra-time strike helped River Plate come from a goal down to record a historic victory over 10-man Boca Juniors in Madrid and win the Copa Libertadores.

Quintero scored in the 109th minute of the second leg between the fierce Argentine rivals before team-mate Gonzalo Martinez wrapped up a 3-1 victory on the night for River - and a 5-3 win on aggregate.

Martinez ran the ball into an empty net with the last kick of the game after Boca keeper Esteban Andrada had been caught upfield at a corner.

That ended a dramatic extra-time period, which had started with the sending-off of Boca midfielder Wilmar Barrios for a second bookable offence - a two-footed challenge on Exequiel Palacios.

Martinez's goal completed a dramatic turnaround in a match moved more than 6,000 miles from Buenos Aires, in Argentina, to the Spanish capital after its postponement in November, when Boca's team bus was attacked by River fans, causing injury to players and staff.

Dario Benedetto had fired Boca into the lead shortly before half-time at Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium.

Benedetto finished off a devastating counter-attack and celebrated by sticking his tongue out at River defender Gonzalo Montiel.

Former Barcelona striker Lucas Pratto equalised for River in the second half, when he slotted home a cutback at the end of a slick passing move.

The crowd spent the majority of the match standing up - and many River fans were seen crying with delight when their team equalised. Those supporters were delirious with joy as their team came back to win in the additional half an hour.

It was the first time in the 58-year history of the Copa Libertadores that the two great Buenos Aires rivals have faced each other in the two-legged final, with the first leg, on 11 November, ending in a 2-2 draw.

Benedetto celebrated his goal by sticking his tongue out at River Plate defender Gonzalo Montiel

The build-up to this hugely anticipated fixture was full of controversy after the second leg - originally scheduled for 24 November - was postponed as a result of the bus attack.

Boca players suffered cuts from broken windows when their team bus was attacked by River fans and were also affected by the tear gas used by police to disperse the crowds.

A number of players, including Boca's Carlos Tevez - the former Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus striker - reportedly suffered from dizziness and vomiting.

Boca argued River should have been disqualified from the competition, but a late attempt to postpone Sunday's rescheduled second leg match was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

The Copa Libertadores is the showpiece club competition in South America, equivalent to the Champions League in Europe, and there were several household names in attendance at the Bernabeu, including Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Juventus' Pablo Dybala.

Why was it played in Madrid?

Media playback is not supported on this device Football final postponed after team bus attack

The two Buenos Aires sides met in front of 72,000 fans at the Bernabeu, where the match was moved in an attempt to avoid further crowd disturbance.

However, the decision to move the final of South America's biggest football competition to another continent was hugely criticised, with a number of fans unable to travel because of the cost of the trip.

River Plate and Boca Juniors were each given 5,000 tickets, but only 4,000 fans from each club flew to Spain. Another 20,000 tickets, which were first available to Real Madrid members, sold out within hours.

Inside the Bernabeu, a vacant block of seats acted as a buffer between the two sets of supporters. The road outside was closed for the entire day and around 2,500 police officers were on duty.

Thousands of fans gathered in Buenos Aires to watch the game in Argentina's capital and Boca Juniors fans celebrated wildly after Benedetto's opener

Tevez was among those who challenged the decision and he told BBC's World Service it was "embarrassing for the people".

"They took away our dream of playing the final in our country," said Tevez.

The head of South American football, Alejandro Dominguez, told the BBC that Madrid was the only city where it was realistic to host the postponed second leg.

"Madrid is an exceptional decision in exceptional circumstances," he said.

"We found out that there is a big population of Argentineans living in Spain. In fact, it's the biggest outside Argentina. There are 350,000 Argentinean people living in Spain so we wanted to give the opportunity to them to live this match and feel it.

"And the Bernabeu Stadium is like the Mecca of football in the world."

Extraordinary final produces dramatic finish

The build-up to the match may not have centred on the football - but the final produced one of the most exciting games of the season.

Both teams attacked with intensity and aggression and the drama played out until the very end.

River battled to come from behind and ensure it went to extra-time, and then Barrios' sending off changed the dynamic of the game.

Boca were forced to change tack but they still attacked, leaving spaces at the back for River to exploit in an end-to-end and tense half-an-hour.

Quintero's goal lit up the show but Boca almost equalised at the finish when Leonardo Jara's thunderous volley smacked the outside of the post.

Boca keeper Andrada then left his goal free as he challenged for the ball at a corner before Martinez raced away to score River's third with the last kick of the game.

River's players fell to the ground at full-time in disbelief.

Half-and-half scarves and Europop

Mani Djazmi, BBC World Service

Many fans of these clubs described the decision to play the match in Madrid as a betrayal of South American football by those who govern it.

As if that wasn't bad enough, two of the worst affectations of European football blighted the build-up to the match even more.

The dreaded half-and-half scarf had spread even as far as the Superclasico, and before the match the symphony of River and Boca fans - who hadn't occupied the same stadium for six years - was drowned out by Europop.

But, when the music was switched off, the sound from behind each goal did its best to overcome the suffocating hum of neutral observers.

Still, when the fans needed to catch their breath, there were patches of near featureless, generic ambivalence resembling an FA or World Cup final, when those who really care are seriously outnumbered by those who don't.

And at least, in this European staging of a very South American occasion, when the River Plate captain Leonardo Ponzio went to lift the trophy, he was greeted with the River Plate anthem instead of that song by Queen.

Boca Juniors' players celebrate scoring the opening goal in Madrid

River Plate's players celebrate the equalising goal in the second half

There were tears in the stands as River Plate fans celebrated their equalising goal

River Plate players were jubilant when Quintero's strike hit the back of the net in extra-time</s>River Plate battled back to beat arch Argentine rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 in extra-time in an unforgettable and unique Copa Libertadores final match second leg.

River Plate battled back to beat arch Argentine rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 in extra-time in an unforgettable and unique Copa Libertadores final match second leg.

The match was played in Madrid after violence had seen the original game postponed.

Dario Benedetto put Boca Juniors ahead at the end of a bruising first half at a raucous Santiago Bernabeu stadium which was equally split between supporters of the two teams.

But the game witnessed barely a hint of crowd trouble.

However, River Plate who also came back twice in the 2-2 draw in the first leg at Boca Juniors’ Bombonera stadium, levelled in the 68th minute.

They scored through striker Lucas Pratto after a superb team move.

River Plate, whose coach Marcelo Gallardo was banned from the sidelines, were given a huge advantage when Boca Juniors’ Colombian midfielder Wilmar Barrios was sent off.

They seized this advantage which came in the third minute of extra-time through a sizzling strike from his compatriot Juan Fernando Quintero in the 109th minute.

Gonzalo Martinez sealed victory, 5-3 on aggregate, at the death with a tap in after Boca Juniors’ entire team had poured forward in search of an equaliser.

“I didn’t think about it,” Quintero said of his goal. “Camilo (Mayada) passed it to me and I looked for space and then hit it. It was a lovely goal and you have to celebrate it.”

Martinez added: “We were the only team out there that tried to win. We played the whole match in their half of the field.”

River Plate’s victory means they will represent South America in the FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off on Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates.

It also guarantees them bragging rights over their neighbours for many years to come.

The club are expected to fly directly to the Middle East but striker Lucas Pratto said the players would take some time to celebrate before their first match on Dec. 18.

“We want to enjoy this because I don’t think we’ll win another Cup against Boca like this,” said Pratto.

The game was controversially moved 10,000 kilometres away from River’s Monumental Stadium to Madrid as Boca Juniors’ team bus had been ambushed before the originally scheduled game.

This left several Boca Juniors’ players injured from the impact of the smashed windows and from tear gas which had been fired by police.

It meant that instead of a home game with the exclusive presence of River Plate supporters, Real Madrid’s Bernabeu was equally divided between fans of both sides.

Also, it showed a highly unusual situation in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.

The final was the first in the 58 years of the competition to be played outside of Latin America and the first between Argentina’s two biggest clubs.

It provoked furious protests from both clubs, their fans and leading figures in Argentine football.

River Plate decried the loss of home advantage Boca Juniors had enjoyed in the first leg, while Boca Juniors claimed they should have been awarded the trophy by default.

They pointed at when they were thrown out of the competition in 2015 when River Plate players were attacked with pepper spray at halftime.

There was also a deep sense of irony at the fact a competition named in honour of the liberators of south America was to be played in the home of their former rulers.

In spite of the controversy, a total of 10,000 fans made the long journey over from Argentina for the occasion.

The nation’s considerable expatriate communities across Europe (250,000 reside in Spain alone) also flooded into the Spanish capital, creating a carnival atmosphere that was mostly cordial.

The VIP box was stuffed with the biggest names in the game, from FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi to Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone.

There was also forward Antoine Griezmann, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez.

Spanish police had mounted the biggest ever security operation for a football match in the country, deploying over 4,000 personnel including more than 2,000 police officers.

The security costs were countered by a considerable windfall for the city, which local government officials put at an estimated minimum 55 million euros.</s>The second and final leg of the Copa Libertadores will finally commence at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Boca Juniors taking on rivals River Plate.

Following an attack on the bus of Boca Juniors outside the Estadio Monumental, the fixture was postponed before being eventually moved to the home of Real Madrid.

With the scoreline finely poised with a 2-2 aggregate, follow all the action live with Sportsmail's TOM FARMERY.</s>MADRID (AP) — Madrid turned into Buenos Aires for a night Sunday, with tens of thousands of Argentine fans transforming Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu into a stadium of their own.

River Plate fans were the only ones celebrating in the end, both at home and in Spain, after the historic victory over fierce rival Boca Juniors in the twice-suspended final of the Copa Libertadores.

River came from behind to beat the rival 3-1 in the second leg after extra time to win South America’s equivalent of the Champions League 5-3 on aggregate.

One of the most anticipated matches in South American soccer finally came to a conclusion, nearly a month after the first leg was played in Argentina.

The final capped one of the most embarrassing chapters in South American soccer, which saw its leaders unable to stage the historic match on the continent. The second leg had to be played in the Spanish capital after it was marred by fan violence in Buenos Aires two weeks ago, when Boca players were injured before the game after River fans attacked the team bus with rocks, bottles and wood.

Soccer great Lionel Messi and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were among those at the “superclasico” at the Bernabeu, which saw the Argentine fans chanting throughout the match in a unique scene at the traditional European stadium.

It was River’s fourth Copa Libertadores title, and first since 2015. Boca Juniors remained on six titles and missed a chance to tie Argentina’s Independiente as the competition’s most successful club.

“River was the better team throughout the entire tournament,” said Matias Biscay, River’s assistant coach who replaced the suspended Marcelo Gallardo. “Our team played against the toughest opponents and knew how to overcome them. And in the final against our rival we were superior in both matches.”

After reaching 1-1 after 90 minutes on Sunday, River went ahead when Juan Fernando Quintero scored four minutes into the second half of extra time, and Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez added a third goal in the final minutes of the high-profile match.

Dario Benedetto had opened the scoring in normal time just before halftime for Boca, and Lucas Pratto equalized for River in the 67th.

Boca had Wilmar Barrios sent off early in extra time and then had Fernando Gago leave the field near the end because of an injury.

The first leg at Boca’s La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires ended 2-2.

Rival fans were separated for security reasons with more than 25,000 from each club expected at the Bernabeu, and many making the expensive trip from Argentina. Only supporters of the home team were allowed in the matches in Argentina to avoid fan violence.

It wasn’t a full house, though, with 62,000 attending the match at the around 80,000-capacity stadium. There were empty sections behind both goals.

“It’s difficult to talk about the fans right now,” Boca Juniors coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto said. “We couldn’t win the Copa for them. They endured a lot to come here from all different parts of the world. It was incredibly sad in the changing room. It hurts a lot for me not to win the Copa, especially because of the fans.”

Quintero scored with a shot from the edge of the area after a well-coordinated attack past the Boca defense. Martinez allowed the celebrations to begin when he scored into an open net in the final seconds as Boca goalkeeper Esteban Andrada had gone to the opposite area to try to equalize on a corner.

Just seconds earlier, Leonardo Jara had a chance to score for Boca and send the match into a penalty shootout, but his shot struck the post to the desperation of the team’s fans.

Benedetto had opened the scoring with a beautiful goal on a counterattack in the 43rd. After receiving a superb throughball from midfielder Nahitan Nandez, Benedetto cleared a defender and entered the area with only goalkeeper Franco Armani to beat, then calmly finished with a shot into the corner. He appeared to taunt a River player as he ran to celebrate with his teammates.

River got the equalizer after a pass from Ignacio Fernandez to Pratto, who scored with a low shot from near the penalty spot.

The Nov. 24 second leg was initially postponed for one day after the Boca team bus was attacked outside River’s Monumental Stadium. South American soccer governing body CONMEBOL eventually said the game couldn’t be played in Argentina because of security concerns.

The match in Madrid was played amid strict security measures. Supporters from both clubs took over the city streets throughout the weekend and had been near the Bernabeu since early Sunday.

No major incidents between fans had been reported in the city, which was picked from several bidders in part because it has one of the largest Argentine populations outside of Argentina.

Spanish authorities said a 68-year-old fan had a heart attack while going to the match and was hospitalized in critical condition.

River fans celebrated the title at the Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires, and the ones in Madrid were expected to take the team’s red-and-white colors to an iconic plaza in the capital.

With the victory, River Plate will represent South America in FIFA’s Club World Cup this month.</s>Around 4,000 police, security guards and stewards will be on duty at the Santiago Bernabeu for today’s Copa Libertadores final – but a pre-match stroll through Madrid tells a rather different story, writes William Pugh in Madrid.

South America’s biggest club match – between bitter Argentinean rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors – will be played in the Spanish capital after the violent scenes forced organisers to postpone the fixture and move it 6,238 miles away.

Rocks and missiles were thrown and two players, including Boca captain Pablo Perez, were hospitalised and some of the team arrived at the stadium in severe distress having ingested pepper spray.

Unfortunately the shocking scenes that sparked the recent debacle are not uncommon in South American football, and even less so in the Boca-River ‘Superclasico’. In one particularly notable incident in 2015, Boca were expelled from the Copa Libertadores after their fans attacked River players with pepper spray on the field of play.

The over passionate, flare wielding, fight seeking stereotype of fans of Argentina’s two biggest clubs is unfortunately not one entrenched in myth.

The reality behind it was a major contributing factor in the away supporters ban, introduced in Argentina in 2014. And there is a long running, deep rooted, sporting, social and political divide that exists between Boca and River.

Be in no doubt, this is the bitterest of rivalries and one that far transcends the football field on which it is should be played out.

However, half a world away fans seemed happy to mix in the build-up to kick-off.

Buenos Aires based Boca fan Nicolas Wilamovsky, 24, is in Madrid with his two River supporting best friends.

“We are best friends from Monday to Saturday but on the day of the match… no,” he said.

“However, it is a football match tomorrow not a war where you are trying to kill people but some people approach it with that sentiment and that ruins it for the rest.”

As seen in many walks of life, it appears the negative attention garnered by a minority has painted a distorted picture of the reality for the majority.

The streets of Madrid conveyed a rarely reported narrative on Saturday. They were full of Boca and River fans intermingling with one another. Friends and family, talking, laughing and taking in the occasion.

There is obviously still friendly ribbing as succinctly demonstrated by Esteban Carignano, 48, the Boca supporting uncle of River fan Enzo Carignano, 23, with whom he has travelled to the game.

When pressed on why he supports Boca and his nephew River, with a wry smile to Enzo, Uncle Esteban calmly explained: “Por que soy mas inteligente.” Because I am more intelligent.

The pair were both born in Argentina and have travelled from their homes in Gran Canaria and Germany respectively. Enzo left Argentina when he was five and was pragmatic about the rivalry as his uncle repeatedly emphasised the fact that his best friend is a River fan.

He said: “There is a stereotype in Europe that everyone (River and Boca fans) hates each other but that’s not true. Obviously I would never throw a stone at my uncle or anyone I considered a friend.”

The pair are two of seemingly very few pleased that the match was moved to Madrid.

 Estaban explained: “For us it’s brilliant the game is being held here otherwise we would not have been able to go.”

Enzo won’t be sitting with his uncle at the game but for him it’s the stuff of fantasy. He said: “It is my first ever River match. It’s a dream that my first match is the Copa Libertadores final. When you are Argentinian you always dream of seeing a River v Boca game. As soon as the draw was made and we saw it was going to be in Madrid, my uncle said we were going and that was it.”

However, not all relationships remain untested by team loyalty.

River fan Samuel Rojo, 20, is outnumbered by the three Boca supporting friends he travelled from Buenos Aires with but that did not stop him rolling his eyes with disdain as his companions vehemently questioned why River weren’t thrown out of the tournament for the recent attack, as their own side were in 2015.

“It’s a lot different!” Rojo exclaimed. He continued amidst protests: “In 2015 the Boca fans attacked the players with pepper spray on the pitch but last month the River fans only threw rocks and it was outside the stadium. The police were the ones who used pepper spray!”

The friends clearly disagreed and an awkward tension rose among the group who spent over £3,000 collectively on the trip.

However, it was swiftly contextualised by Boca fan Ignacio Lopez, 22. He said: “Everyone is friends with everyone in the city, but when it comes to football, you have to represent your team.”

After another heated discussion on which team the new venue benefits the most, the difficulty in picking friendship or your team became clear.

Given the match may see some Boca and River fans sitting in the same parts of the stadium, Juan Portero, 23, was unsure if his friendship with Mr Rojo could stand the test.

He said: “I don’t know how I would react if I was in the same part of the stand as my River friend and he shouted for a goal in my face. If it was last minute it I would probably punch him in the face.”

Mr Portero made a final intriguing point around which much has been written during this saga.

He said: “I don’t think there will be any trouble on Sunday because in Argentina, there are no consequences from the police because of the corruption but they (trouble making fans) know that if they throw any rocks in Madrid they are going straight to prison.”

When pressed on political intertwinements in matters involving the two teams, the young friends were all in agreement. Boca-River is politics and politics is Boca-River.

The current Argentine president Mauricio Macri is the former president of Boca and often analogises about football in his political speeches but Mr Rojo thinks the recent ugly scenes will work against him in the red and white half of the capital.

He said: “No one from River Plate will be voting for Macri in the next election. It was the police that he controls that let the incident happen and that lost them the opportunity to see the second leg in their own country. He stole a match from us.”

There is little more sub-textual material you could add to this story to make today’s game any more of an occasion.

This is the last two-legged final of the Copa Libertadores, it’s the first time Boca Juniors and River Plate have faced each other in the final in the competition’s 58-year history, the tie is finely poised at 2-2, the additional drama surrounding it after the bus attack has drawn focus and debate from across the globe and it all comes down to 90 minutes of football at one of world football’s most iconic stadiums tonight.

However, whether you are the River fan who refused an interview because he still hadn’t told his wife in Buenos Aires where he was. Whether you are Gonzalo Juarez, 55, now in Madrid having left his home in Canada with his son nearly three weeks ago to see the second leg at El Monumental. Or whether you are one of the fans who possesses the desire to hurt others in the name of your football team.

Tonight is just a football match. Perhaps, as Mr Juarez described: “a once in a lifetime football match,” but a football match nonetheless. The love and friendship between rivals on display in Madrid is far more important than that.</s>SUNDAY’S SECOND LEG of the Copa Libertadores final between bitter Argentine rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate went to extra time after a 1-1 draw in Madrid left the two-leg contest level 3-3 on aggregate.

Dario Benedetto put Boca ahead at the Santiago Bernabeu just before half-time, but River equalised through Lucas Pratto on 68 minutes.

Subscribe to our new podcast, Heineken Rugby Weekly on The42, here:</s>Juan Quintero failed in European football but on Sunday earned his greatest success on European soil, scoring a stunning extra-time strike to lead River Plate to Copa Libertadores final victory against their most bitter rivals, Boca Juniors.

The rights and wrongs — mainly wrongs — of South America's equivalent of the Champions League being controversially switched to the Spanish capital will be debated, but at the end of it all, River's name is on the trophy for a fourth time.

Quintero, coming off the bench, inspired their comeback after Boca took the lead, the Colombian No 10 producing a career highlight goal to settle a tense and wrought affair.

Boca took the lead when Nahitan Nandez played a pass which sliced through the broken glass and broken dreams, the days, 15 of them, and the distance, 6,000 miles, as well as River's defence, to find Dario Benedetto, who finished brilliantly.

Argentina and Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi, watching on from a box at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu, would have been proud of the ball himself.

But River equalised with a slick team goal of their own, dispatched by Lucas Pratto, which sent the game to extra-time, fitting for a final which simply refused to end.

Wilmar Barrios's red card at the start of extra-time twisted the clash in River's favour and Quintero took full advantage.

The playmaker could not make it at Porto or Rennes but has slowly reconstructed his career in his homeland, going on to impress at the Russia World Cup, before settling one of the most drawn-out finals in history, with Piti Martinez's third the icing on the cake.

Away goals don't count in Copa Libertadores finals, so the spiky 2-2 draw at Boca's Bombonera stadium a month ago was just an aperitif. Everything was riding on this match.

River coach Marcelo Gallardo, not on the sidelines due to a suspension for ignoring a previous suspension in the semi-final, described the decision to move the game to Madrid as a robbery, a 'total disgrace'.

That was at least one thing both sides could agree on. This match, of all matches, being played in Europe upset everybody.

If one of the most famous taunts in the rivalry was River fans flying a giant inflatable pig in a Boca kit over furious supporters, the cash cow this game became was an insult to both sets of fans.

'They took away our dream of playing the final in our country,' said Boca striker Carlos Tevez.

The venue was switched after being twice-postponed a fortnight ago, because River fans attacked Boca's team bus outside the Monumental stadium with rocks and injured players who were cut by the shattered glass.

Other Boca stars were left dizzy and vomiting after being hit by tear gas used by police to clear fans from the area.

Captain Pablo Perez was taken to hospital after the incident with splinters of broken glass in his eye. He started in Madrid, and should have scored after 10 minutes but volleyed straight at Franco Armani.

Even though most thought it should still be played in Latin America, those with the power thought otherwise.

Fans forked out extortionate sums to trek to Europe to watch the game, one of the most eagerly awaited matches in football history, with this year being first time these arch-rivals have met in the final of the Copa Libertadores, the 'final to end all finals'.

Even though both clubs came from the same neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, La Boca, before River moved to the more affluent Nunez district, it is a rivalry which divides a nation.

Madrid was on red alert. Around 4,000 security personnel were on duty - nearly double the number deployed for Spain's own Clasico. The biggest ever security operation for a match in the capital.

Dangerous hooligans arrived and were deported. 'I was just going to Spain for Christmas,' claimed one, insisting he had no intention of attending the game.

But the preamble passed without incident. Drums were beaten, songs were chanted, beer was drunk, flares lit, umbrellas wielded, and the game kicked off this time.

There wasn't much football. The game was being played with hearts and lungs but not brains. Perez went close again but his shot was deflected inches wide by Milton Casco.

The breakthrough came a minute before half-time, when Boca sliced River open on the counter. Uruguay midfielder Nandez produced that inch-perfect through-ball for Benedetto to dispatch, the striker keeping the coolest head in the stadium.

River started the second half well with Nacho Fernandez sending a piledriver inches wide of Esteban Andrada's post and were furious when they were not given a penalty after the goalkeeper felled Pratto.

As striker and stopper clashed, it looked a penalty but the forward was penalised, harshly, for dangerous play. River threw Colombia's mercurial playmaker Juan Quintero on in reaction. And the equaliser came.

It was another rare moment of quality, a slick team move that undid Boca's defence with a string of passes, and Pratto was on hand to slam home Fernandez's cut-back.

Wilmar Barrios's red card two minutes into extra time gave River full control and ultimately Quinteros's quality told.

Boca finished with nine as Fernando Gago limped off injured after all the changes were made, goalkeeper Andrada spent huge swathes of time in River's half and was eventually punished, Martinez breaking clear and running the ball into the empty net.</s>MADRID (AP) — Fans and players from fierce Argentine rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors are getting ready for the Copa Libertadores final later Sunday after the biggest game in South American club soccer was relocated to the neutral setting of Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The scheduled kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. local time (1930 GMT).

The hotly awaited match — the equivalent of Europe's Champions League — was postponed and transferred from Buenos Aires to the Spanish capital after River fans attacked Boca's team bus on Nov. 24 ahead of the second leg.

The first leg at Boca's La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires ended 2-2.

Spanish police are using a security perimeter of 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) between Boca and River fans around the stadium.

No incidents between fans have been reported so far as they shared public transport while heading for the game.

At Boca's fan zone, supporters threw confetti in their team's color of blue and yellow. Horacio Sanchez, who came from Argentina for the decider, said he didn't expect any less enthusiasm from fans even in Madrid in December.

"Boca fans are Boca fans anywhere. We do it all for Boca, we brought a great atmosphere to Madrid. It is not just like Argentina, but it is near," he said.

A few blocks away, Claudio Aguilar was wrapped in a River flag as he waited for his team to leave the hotel. He had just come from Plaza de Cuzco, where other supporters were spinning red and white umbrellas in the air.

"It cost me a lot to be here, but I do anything for River. This final does not have the same taste, it is far from home and I can't fulfill my dream of celebrating with my neighbors on the streets of our city. But we have to win, maybe we will never play a Libertadores final against Boca again," he said.

Boca is chasing its seventh South American title, while River seeks its fourth.</s>It's two weeks overdue, but the Copa Libertadores final second leg between Boca Juniors and River Plate finally gets underway in Madrid on Sunday.

After fan violence caused the original match in Buenos Aires to be postponed and then relocated, thousands of travelling fans are now in Spain to watch their favourite teams go at it in the 'Superclasico.'

Supporters of both sides took to the streets of Madrid to party and enjoy themselves before the fierce rivalry resumed in the evening. With the kickoff looming, fans are now starting to squeeze into the stadium for the match.

Outside the stadium, a huge police presence is keeping an eye on proceedings, with multiple security checkpoints and thousands of personnel on hand, including police horses, and even armored personnel carriers.

People are being searched on their way into the ground, to make sure they're not bringing anything into the stadium they're not supposed to.

The two most popular Argentine football clubs, both based in the capital, who have a rivalry going back over a century, are meeting in the Copa Libertadores final, the most prestigious tournament in South American club football.

This particular meeting is even more tense than usual, as they have never previously met in the final of what is the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

The match is finely poised at 2-2, after the first leg which was played at Boca Juniors' stadium, La Bombonera.

However the second leg, which was set to be played on November 24 at River Plate's Estadio Monumental, had to be postponed after the Boca Juniors bus was attacked en route to the stadium.

Windows were smashed, and tear gas which was used to try and repel the attackers then drifted inside the coach and affected some of the players too. Several team members had to be taken to hospital, and the rest were in no fit state to play the match.

The match was eventually rescheduled and moved to Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, in the hope that fewer travelling fans would mean less violence surrounding the match.

Each team had 25,000 tickets to sell, with only 5,000 available to people living in Argentina. Neither club managed to sell their full allocation. Travelling fans are paying out around £1,800 in travel, living, and ticket costs.

Multiple arrests were made as the violence continued after the Boca bus made it to the stadium before the original second leg.

There are reports of a 4,000-strong security team made up of police, guards, and stewards in Madrid ensuring that the match on Sunday runs smoothly.

Marca say Florenino Perez left Real Madrid’s game at Huesca at half-time to make it back to the Santiago Bernabeu for tonight’s Copa Libertadores final. With various dignitaries coming to watch the game, he had to be there to greet them.

Prime minister Pedro Sanchez will be there, along with Barcelona star Lionel Messi, Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino and other big names.

If River Plate win the match, their fans will be celebrating at Puerta del Sol square, where the city normally holds its New Year's celebrations.

If Boca Juniors win, their fans will celebrate at the city's Plaza Colon, which is a mile away from where River fans will be congregating.

River Plate have won the Copa Libertadores three times, most recently in 2015. Boca Juniors have won it six times before, and are seeking their seventh win, which would tie them with Independiente as the competition's most successful club. However, the last time they won a continental trophy was back in 2007.

So far, the crowds gathered in Madrid have remained peaceful, with swathes of blue and yellow for the Boca supporters and red and white for the River Plate fans.

Blue and yellow smoke and flares mark the Boca fans at their fan zone around Nuevos Ministerios on Paseo de la Castellana south of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Similar red and white smoke can be seen near the Eurostar Tower Hotel, where the River Plate team is staying.

Fans are chanting, banging drums, and generally having a good time as they prepare for the huge match on Sunday night. Hundreds of Boca Juniors fans gathered outside the team hotel on Saturday night chanting 'it doesn't matter where you play, we will always follow you.'

Although it is all friendly for now, security forces are said to be on high alert, as a group of 400 to 500 violent fans are expected to be in Madrid.

To show just how fierce the rivalry between the two clubs is, the number of security personnel is nearly double that which is normally used for matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona.</s>River Plate won the Copa Libertadores for a fourth time by coming from behind to beat rivals Boca Juniors 3-1 in extra-time of their controversially-rearranged final in Madrid.

Juan Quintero all but settled a keenly-fought encounter at the Bernabeu with a stunning strike after 109 minutes before Gonzalo Martinez broke away for a third, securing a 5-3 aggregate success, in the dying moments.

Boca had taken a first-half lead through Dario Benedetto but River hit back through Lucas Pratto and Boca's hopes were badly hit after Wilmar Barrios was sent off early in extra-time for a two-footed challenge on Exequiel Palacios.

River ended the match victorious but the saga of this final, postponed and moved to Spain after Boca's team bus was attacked by rival fans in Buenos Aires, may not be over. Boca failed to get the fixture suspended at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Saturday but their attempts to have River disqualified could continue.

Boca were much the better side early on and almost went ahead when River's Jonathan Maidana sliced a clearance over his own bar. The ball rebounded off players from the resulting corner and fell to Pablo Perez shot at Franco Armani.

Boca's next opportunity also came from a set-piece after Benedetto drilled a shot into the wall. The ball broke for Perez on the right but his goalbound effort was deflected over.

River thought they should have had a penalty for a push on Milton Casco but Boca threatened again through Lisandro Magallan and Carlos Izquierdoz. Armani also had to be alert to punch away a dangerous Sebastian Villa cross in front of Benedetto.

Gonzalo Martinez shot well over for River, who then squandered another opening before Boca broke to take the lead. In a breathless passage of play, Boca goalkeeper Esteban Andrada gave away the ball but River failed to take advantage and Cristian Pavon released Benedetto with a brilliant through ball.

Benedetto skipped over a challenge from Maidana and showed great composure to beat Armani.

River were much more positive in the second half. They pieced together a good move soon after the restart as Pratto teed up Ignacio Fernandez but he shot narrowly wide.

River continued to dominate but without creating clear-cut chances until Pratto swept home the equaliser after a fine move in the 68th minute.

The game then became scrappy with frequent stoppages and drifted into extra-time, which got off to an explosive start when Barrios earned a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Exequiel Palacios.

River proceeded to dominate possession and their breakthrough came early in the second extra period. They pieced together a series of passes and Quintero struck with a ferocious shot from the edge of the area that went in off the underside of the bar.

Boca responded by sending on Carlos Tevez, the former Manchester United and city forward.

River had a scare almost immediately as Camilo Mayada went close to heading into his own net but Armani reacted quickly.

Leonardo Jara hit a post for Boca in a frantic finish but they were punished for throwing men forward as River broke to score a third through Martinez in stoppage time.
In international football, River Plate wins the Copa Libertadores by beating Boca Juniors 3–1 in extra-time (aggregate score 5–3). The final is played at the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid.