Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos: Pele’s Libertadores Retained (1963)
Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos was the second leg of the 1963 Copa Libertadores final, played on Wednesday 11 September 1963 at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, one of the nights we revisit in our On This Day series. It crowned Pele’s Santos champions of South America for a second year running: Jose Sanfilippo put Boca ahead just after the break, but Coutinho levelled and Pele struck the winner on 82 minutes. Santos had already won the first leg 3-2 in Rio, so the visitors took the tie and retained the trophy.
What follows is how the reigning world champions closed out the tie on Boca’s own turf, and why the result mattered well beyond one Wednesday night.
Key Facts
- Played on Wednesday 11 September 1963 at the Estadio La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, in front of about 50,000, as the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final, according to RSSSF’s match records.
- Boca Juniors lost 1-2 to Santos. Jose Sanfilippo scored for Boca on 46 minutes; Coutinho equalised on 50 and Pele won it on 82.
- Santos had won the first leg 3-2 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, taking the final 5-3 on aggregate and both legs on the era’s two-points-per-win system.
- It was Santos’s second consecutive Copa Libertadores, won as holders who had entered the 1963 edition straight at the semi-final stage, per Santos FC’s own account.
- Santos went in as reigning world champions, having beaten Benfica to win the 1962 Intercontinental Cup, and the Libertadores win set up a world-title meeting with AC Milan.
- 1963 was Boca Juniors’ first Copa Libertadores final; RSSSF’s records show they would not win the competition until 1977.
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The Night Pele’s Santos Retained the Copa Libertadores
A Champion Side Walking Into Boca’s Bombonera
Santos arrived in Buenos Aires carrying more silverware than any club side on the planet. As the 1962 Copa Libertadores holders they had skipped the early rounds and entered the 1963 edition at the semi-finals, Santos FC’s own account confirms, and they were also the reigning world champions after beating Benfica in the 1962 Intercontinental Cup. Boca Juniors, by contrast, were in a Copa Libertadores final for the first time, chasing a continental trophy their supporters had never seen. La Bombonera was full and hostile, and the first leg in Rio had already gone against them 3-2.
Santos held a real advantage on the night. Coutinho had scored twice in the first leg and Jose Sanfilippo, Boca’s prolific centre-forward, had answered with both home goals. The tie was alive but tilted, and Boca needed to win in Buenos Aires to force the issue under the points system then used to settle the final.
How Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos Unfolded at La Bombonera
The first half stayed goalless, the crowd loud and the tackling fierce. A minute into the second half Sanfilippo struck for Boca, his third goal of the final across the two legs, and for a few minutes the Bombonera believed a comeback was on. It lasted four minutes. Coutinho, Santos’s other great forward alongside Pele, levelled on 50 to settle the visitors, as RSSSF’s match records list. From there Santos took control, and on 82 minutes Pele collected the ball on the edge of the box, worked through three defenders and finished for 1-2, the goal Santos FC describe as the one that sealed the night.
| Leg | Date | Result | Venue | Santos scorers | Boca scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 3 September 1963 | Santos 3-2 | Maracana, Rio de Janeiro | Coutinho 2′, 21′; Lima 28′ | Sanfilippo 43′, 89′ |
| Second | 11 September 1963 | Boca 1-2 Santos | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires | Coutinho 50′; Pele 82′ | Sanfilippo 46′ |
How the second leg unfolded:
- 46′ Sanfilippo strikes for Boca, and La Bombonera senses a comeback, 1-0.
- 50′ Coutinho levels for Santos to steady the champions, 1-1.
- 82′ Pele beats three defenders and finishes to retain the trophy, 1-2.
What Retaining It Meant
Winning both legs gave Santos the final 5-3 on aggregate and, under the two-points-per-win system of the day, a clean sweep that needed no play-off. It gave Santos their second consecutive Copa Libertadores as holders, according to RSSSF’s records, a back-to-back reign begun with their maiden title in 1962. The victory also carried a bigger prize: Santos FC record that beating Boca qualified them to contest the world club title against AC Milan, the European champions, which Santos went on to win to stay world champions into 1964. For Boca Juniors, a first continental final ended in defeat, and RSSSF’s records show the club would wait until 1977 for its first Copa Libertadores.
READ MORE: More classic South American and European nights in our On This Day series →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos (1963)
What was the score in Boca Juniors v Santos on 11 September 1963?
Boca Juniors lost 1-2 to Santos on 11 September 1963 at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. Jose Sanfilippo scored for Boca on 46 minutes, then Coutinho equalised on 50 and Pele won it for Santos on 82. It was the second leg of the 1963 Copa Libertadores final.
Who scored in Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final?
In Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos, Jose Sanfilippo scored for Boca just after half-time on 46 minutes. Coutinho equalised for Santos on 50 minutes and Pele scored the winner on 82. Both Santos goals came inside the second half at La Bombonera, according to RSSSF’s match records.
Did Santos win the 1963 Copa Libertadores?
Yes. Santos won the 1963 Copa Libertadores, beating Boca Juniors across a two-legged final. Santos won the first leg 3-2 in Rio and the second leg 2-1 in Buenos Aires, taking the tie 5-3 on aggregate and both matches on the era’s two-points-per-win system.
Was Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos Santos’s second Copa Libertadores in a row?
Yes. Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos gave Santos their second consecutive Copa Libertadores, after their maiden title in 1962. As holders, Santos had entered the 1963 edition straight at the semi-final stage, per Santos FC’s own account, then retained the trophy at La Bombonera.
Where was the second leg of the 1963 Copa Libertadores final played?
The second leg was played at the Estadio La Bombonera, Boca Juniors’ home ground in Buenos Aires, on 11 September 1963. About 50,000 watched Santos win 2-1, as RSSSF records. The first leg had been staged a week earlier at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
What was the aggregate score in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final?
Santos beat Boca Juniors 5-3 on aggregate in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final. Santos won the first leg 3-2 at the Maracana and the second leg 2-1 at La Bombonera. Because Santos won both legs, the final needed no play-off under the points system used at the time.
Did Pele score in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final?
Yes. Pele scored the winning goal in the second leg, Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos, on 82 minutes. Santos FC describe him collecting the ball on the edge of the box, beating three defenders and finishing to make it 1-2 and seal the title at La Bombonera.
Who scored for Boca Juniors in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final?
Jose Sanfilippo scored all of Boca Juniors’ goals in the 1963 Copa Libertadores final. He struck twice in the first leg, on 43 and 89 minutes, and added Boca’s goal in the second leg on 46 minutes. Boca still lost the final to Santos.
Was 1963 Boca Juniors’ first Copa Libertadores final?
Yes. 1963 was Boca Juniors’ first Copa Libertadores final, and they lost it to Santos across two legs. RSSSF’s records show Boca would not reach another final until 1977, when they beat Cruzeiro over three matches for the first of their six titles.
Were Santos world champions when they beat Boca Juniors in 1963?
Yes. Santos were the reigning world champions when they beat Boca Juniors in September 1963, having won the 1962 Intercontinental Cup against Benfica. Retaining the Copa Libertadores set up another world-title meeting, this time with the European champions AC Milan.
What competition was Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos played in?
Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos was played in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier club competition, as the second leg of the 1963 final. The trophy was decided over two legs, and Santos took it by winning in both Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.
Why does Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos still matter?
Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos matters because it confirmed Santos as the dominant club side of the early 1960s. Pele and Coutinho retaining the Copa Libertadores on Boca’s own ground gave Santos back-to-back continental crowns, and kept a squad that also held the world title at the summit of the game.
Boca Juniors 1-2 Santos (1963)
A goal down early in the second half on the loudest ground in Argentine football, the world champions answered through Coutinho and then Pele, and walked out of La Bombonera with the Copa Libertadores held for a second year. For more nights that decided trophies and defined great sides, keep exploring our On This Day series on The Football Documentary Channel.
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