In Germany 2006, Marcello Lippi gave the football world a brilliant demonstration of strategy. His Italy was a discreet team with a very favorable way to pass. By the semi-finals, they faced very accessible opponents: Ghana, USA, Czech Republic, Australia, Ukraine… It was loose. own Gazzetta dello Sport wrote: “We have a very lucky key, if we know how to use it, we will be in the final.” It is given as it is. As he watched the semi-finals, Germany appeared on the road, the eternal specter of the World Cup. And as the owner of the house… Lippi planted a prudent Italy, not defensively, but aware of the name in front of him. The first half passed, 0 to 0, Germany did not even come close to Buffon’s goal. The second came and it was a copy, Italy full of respect, Germany powerless. This is where Lippi’s talent emerged. They went into extra time and made two bold changes: he brought on two midfielders: Perrotta, for containment, and Camoranesi, for forward and back. He put two pure forwards: Iaquinta and Del Piero, added to Gilardino, who was already there, and Totti, a ten with the soul of a nine. He saw that Germany was nothing and threw himself with all his weight on him. To hell with prudence. Italy won 2-0 with goals in the 118th and 120th minutes. Everything is the opposite of Pékerman, who withdrew against Germany with much more material and made changes without courage, leaving Messi on the bench, which is why one is a world champion and the other is not.

The final was different. France arrived as an ultra candidate. I danced in Brazil and that’s always a lot. Italy was physically and footballingly below Zidane’s team. Lippi knew that. He saw that he could not win anywhere and immediately went for a draw, knowing that there is another way to win in head-to-head matches: to go to penalties, where the chances are equal. Or maybe there are even better options than the opponent. It happened as it was and Italy won its fourth World Cup title.

Although he doesn’t say it publicly, Boca coach Jorge Almirón thinks the same as Lippi: “To win, I have to draw.” But in all cases. Since the beginning of this Libertadores, the entire continent has been commenting: “Boca is not playing anything.” On the contrary, they do not have team harmony, it is difficult to articulate offensive plays and they do not create danger in front of the opponent’s goal. But it’s in the final. In that direction…? Thanks to their goalkeeper Sergio Romero, an expert in the art of saving penalties. The formula is simple: when Boca sees that they cannot beat their rivals, they cling to a draw because they are confident that they will win in the execution round. Chiquito says without arrogance: “I know I can skip two.” And he delivers. It is the first time in the history of the Cup that a team has reached the final without winning a round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final match. He connected all six, started a series of penalties, Chiquito saved two in each round and drove Boca to delirium: he is again on the threshold of the title.

He got a group that was pistachio ice cream: humble and debutant Deportivo Pereira, very poor Colo Colo (Chilean teams at international level are scary), and Monagas from Venezuela. And then he couldn’t beat Nacional de Montevideo, Racing and Palmeiras. They progressed only through penalties, a resource that historically gave them great satisfaction: they won the finals in 1977, 2000 and 2001. , had almost miraculous interventions during the match. The final 1-1 is completely unreasonable, but this sport is neither fair nor unfair, it is football and that is part of its incomparable appeal. A special paragraph for Endrick, a 17-year-old already transferred by Palmeiras to Real Madrid, but who is staying at Verdão until he turns 18. He came on and gave Palmeiras and the game a 10,000-volt shock. He could He did not achieve victory, although it was presented as the future super star. Everything that has been said about himl “it was all true.”

“Be careful, Boca doesn’t win, but it doesn’t beat her either, eh…”, rightly warns Carlos Martín, a colleague from Bitbol.la. Indeed, their defensive prowess is incredible, with only five goals conceded in twelve games. And he kept an unbeaten goal in eight games.

We also have Boca to thank for saving the anticipation of the final: maybe Palmeiras-Fluminense would have been an incredible disaster. Not because of the teams, but because with two compatriots in the final, the meaning of any international competition is lost: competing against candidates from different countries. Also, because Brazilians are always a bit foreign to the rest of the subcontinent (language is still a barrier). And because the final will be at the Maracana again. All too Brazilian. It does not reach the rest of the public. With Boca, against whomever, the final is not to be missed.

“The bottle is to the Copa Libertadores what Real Madrid is to the Champions League,” the United Statisticians of America announced on WhatsApp. It can be said that yes: of the 64 editions in which he participated in 32, he was a semi-finalist 18 times, a finalist 12 times (with this one) and a champion 6 times. But beyond supporting the numbers, there is what Boca creates. No other club produces such a stir in the Libertadores. Everyone wants to face it. For the neutral fan, it’s always a match to watch: Boca against anyone. On November 4 at the Maracana, they will try to reach Independiente’s record of seven crowns.

In front of him, as a local, very local, Fluminense, an aristocrat, pioneer and promoter of Brazilian football, who is looking for his first time, his introduction to continental glory, will be waiting for him. Flu had a much more complicated group than Boca in the first stage, in which they gave a thunderous 5-1 to Rivera, and then made a royal flush in the decisive head-to-head, eliminating Argentinos Juniors, Olimpia and Inter Porto Alegre, beating them all. Four wins in six appearances show that they are a powerful team. And with a goal: 22 goals in his ten games. Of the 22, twelve (as well as all Boca) are the work of Germán Can, the Argentinian striker who can’t take away the top scorer award. The former Lanús, Chacarita and Colón player who made people think of him as Messi’s teammate in the national team despite the fact that Lautaro Martínez and Julián Álvarez are there.

But the flu isn’t just Cano. There is Ganso in a lucid and happy maturity, there is the sensational goalkeeper Fabio, who at the age of 43 maintains an almost unbelievable level, the magnificent defender Samuel Xavier, the wings John Arias (Colombian) and Keno, the young striker Kennedy, the very veterans Marcelo and Felipe Melo, great defender Nino, already in the national team… Not Cano alone, but Cano was the assistant and the author of two goals that brought them a great victory against Inter in Porto Alegre last Wednesday. Flu is Cano and 36 other elements that make up a rich list. And the army as a technical, medical and support team. Fernando Diniz, also the coach of the Brazilian national team, has six assistant coaches, five physical coaches, three goalkeeper coaches…

It will be Fluminense football against the Boca jersey, its mystique and inner strength. A beautiful duel. And the entire continent in anticipation. (D)