Match summary
Everyone, journalists and fans alike, agreed that Vicente del Bosque's Real Madrid side were clear favourites to hoist the 2000 Toyota Cup. Everyone, that is, except Boca Juniors coach Carlos Bianchi, his players and the 2,000 xeneize fans that made the long journey to Japan to cheer their heroes on. An experienced Boca side showed no signs of an inferiority complex as the game got under way and stunned the Merengues with two Martín Palermo goals from their first two attacks (2' and 5'). Although Roberto Carlos quickly pulled one back with a trademark left-foot piledriver (11') and despite dominating possession for the rest of the game, the Spanish aristocrats were left to rue a succession of missed chances and gradually ran out of steam. In the closing stages, the Argentines cleverly channelled the ball to Juan Román Riquelme, who used his sublime skills to run down the clock to the increasing desperation of Del Bosque's men. With Real reduced to pumping hopeful long balls forward, the Boca rearguard stood firm and the underdogs held on to complete a famous victory.

Key Player
Palermo's early brace may have won him the Man of the Match award, but it was Riquelme's stunning display of wizardry that remains etched in the memory. Both players, now Boca idols in their own right, were the leading lights in a finely tuned side with an insatiable appetite for success. The modest Riquelme was quick to highlight the team ethic after the game: "The whole team played magnificently. All I did was play my part."

Coach
Having led Vélez Sarsfield, one of Argentinian football's lower lights, to the pinnacle of world football in 1994, Carlos Bianchi took on the Boca Juniors job much to the delight of its fans. Few, however, could have imagined the dramatic effect his appointment would have on the famous club's fortunes. No sooner had Bianchi taken the hot seat in July 1998 than Boca ended a six-year spell without silverware, establishing a 40-game unbeaten run in the process. In two spells at the helm - separated by a one-year gap - Bianchi guided the Buenos Aires giants to no fewer than four domestic trophies and five international ones including two Toyota Cups from three attempts. Boca's first intercontinental success came against a Real Madrid side featuring the likes of Raúl, Luis Figo and Fernando Hierro. A born leader and an outstanding coach, Bianchi forged a well-drilled side and stressed the importance of the team ahead of the individual. "We knew very well who we were up against, but we also knew we were a match for anyone. We weren't cocky and we won the title deservedly," he said after Boca's shock win.


Boca Juniors 2-1 Real Madrid
Venue: Tokyo
Stadium: National Stadium
28 November
Attendance: 60,000
Ref: Oscar Ruiz Acosta (COL)
Scorers: Palermo (2' and 5'), Roberto Carlos (11').
Real Madrid:
Iker Casillas, Geremi, Hierro, Karanka, Roberto Carlos, Helguera, Makelele, McManaman, Guti, Figo, Raúl.
Coach: Vicente del Bosque
Boca Juniors:
Córdoba, Ibarra, Bermúdez, Traverso, Matellán, Basualdo, Serna, Riquelme, Battaglia, Delgado, Palermo.
Coach: Carlos Bianchi