It has taken Flamengo 38 years and three days to lift the Copa Libertadores once more, a feat they achieved against none other than Marcelo Gallardo’s River Plate, the most dominant force in South American football in recent years.

O Mengão owed their second triumph in the competition to an unlikely comeback in the closing stages of the final at the Estadio Monumental in Lima. In the process the Brazilians also secured a place at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019.

Fla improved as their tournament went on. After topping Group D on goal difference from Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito and Penarol, the Brazilians needed penalties to see off Emelec in the last 16.

They raised their game to beat Internacional of Porto Alegre by a more comfortable margin in the quarter-finals, and showed they meant business by sweeping to a 6-1 aggregate win over Internacional’s city rivals Gremio, a result secured by a 5-0 win in the second leg.

Fired into the final by the strike partnership formed by Bruno Henrique and Gabriel 'Gabigol' Barbosa, Flamengo had their supply lines disrupted by River, who struck first thought Rafael Santos Borre in the 14th minute. The Argentinians held that lead until the last minute of normal time, when Gabigol appeared.

The leading scorer in this year’s tournament, the Brazilian striker pounced on River’s defensive lapses to turn the match around with two well-taken goals, the second of them coming two minutes into injury time.

Gabigol has not stopped scoring since arriving on loan from Inter Milan in January,earning himself hero status among the Fla fans. In 12 matches in the Libertadores, he has found the back of the net nine times, with five of those goals coming in the last 16, quarter-finals and semis and the last two in his one-man comeback show in the final.

The front man had the fans fearing the worst when he touched the trophy on his way out to the pitch in Lima. Rather than bringing Fla misfortune, however, Gabigol proved their lucky charm.

Having made virtually no impact throughout the game, he popped up in the six-yard-box with a minute remaining to make it 1-1 and then got the better of Javier Pinola to give his side victory.

The club with the biggest fanbase in the world (more than 40 million), Flamengo have been extremely busy in the transfer market in 2019.

Arriving in January with Gabigol were Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique and Rodrigo Caio, all of whom made significant contributions in the Libertadores campaign. Then in June came first-choice full-backs Rafinha and Filipe Luis, not to mention the man who has made it all happen for Fla: coach Jorge Jesus.

The Portuguese has taken a group of talented players and forged a team committed to attacking football and the high press, with players constantly switching positions to pull the opposition out of shape and create two-on-ones.

“Flamengo’s win today isn’t a victory for me or the players; it’s a victory for Brazilian football. When I accepted this challenge to come to Brazil, it was a dream of mine to be in the Libertadores and to reach the final and win it.” Jorge Jesus