- Estudiantes celebrated two of their four CONMEBOL Libertadores titles at the Centenario: the first in 1968 and the third in 1970.
- The 'Pincha' head back to Montevideo on Saturday, November 28, to play the Final against Palmeiras, the same opponents as in 1968, with Uruguayans in key roles.
There are stadiums a club visits and others that explain it. For Estudiantes, Montevideo's Centenario belongs in the second group: it was there that they celebrated their first CONMEBOL Libertadores, there that they sealed their third straight title, and there that they will return on Saturday, November 28, to play the 2026 Final against Palmeiras, the same opponents as on their first night of glory.
That first time was on May 16, 1968. Estudiantes had beaten Palmeiras 2-1 in the first leg in La Plata and lost the second leg 3-1 at the Pacaembu, so the Final went to a playoff in the Uruguayan capital, in front of around 55,000 people. Facing them was Ademir da Guia's Palmeiras; on the bench for the 'Pincha' was Osvaldo Zubeldía. Felipe Ribaudo opened the scoring 13' into the first half, and 37' into the second half Juan Ramón Verón made it 2-0.
Verón, father of the club's current president, recalled it 52 years after that Final: "My goal came from a long ball out of our box by Tato Medina, which I picked up six meters into their half, and after cutting inside I waited for the goalkeeper to come out so I could dribble around him to the right and finish low". And he summed up what it truly meant: "It was an unforgettable goal, not just because it was a beautiful one, but because it allowed us to put the game to bed and make history".
A year later, the stadium was theirs once again. In the first leg of the 1969 Final, against Nacional, a free kick from Eduardo Flores gave them a 1-0 win at the Centenario, and the second title was completed with a 2-0 win in La Plata.
The third title was celebrated in Montevideo once again, albeit in a different way. In 1970 there was no need for a playoff: the Final against Peñarol was settled in the second leg, at the same venue. Néstor Togneri had scored the 1-0 winner in the first leg in La Plata, 42' into the second half, and a 0-0 draw was enough for a third straight title. Facing them was a Peñarol side with Elías Figueroa in defense, and the star of the show was at the other end. Verón acknowledged as much: "Pintos, the goalkeeper, was the standout that day, he pulled off incredible saves". He also recalled the atmosphere between the two teams: "The Uruguayans had great respect for our team, because we took them on as equals". Estudiantes celebrated their third consecutive title at the same stadium where their continental story had begun two years earlier.
In Finals, the record of the 'Pincha' at the Centenario stands at four matches: two wins, in 1968 and 1969; a draw, in 1970; and a defeat, in 1971, when Nacional won the second leg 1-0, forced a playoff and claimed the title in Lima. It brought the curtain down on a golden era.
The connection carried on into this century. In 2009, in the second leg of the Semifinal against Nacional, Mauro Boselli scored both goals in a 2-1 win, the second in stoppage time, and opened the door to their fourth title. Nacional's number nine that day was Alexander Medina, who scored against the 'Pincha' in that game and is now their coach. And in 2014, in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16, Estudiantes knocked out Peñarol on penalties at the same venue: according to Opta, it was their last shoot-out win in CONMEBOL competitions before the one at the Maracanã.
The next night already has a date. Fernando Muslera, who saved three penalties in Rio de Janeiro, will play the Final in his home country: "It will be great to come back home and play the final in another temple of football like the Centenario stadium", he said after Estudiantes booked their place. Medina, who is also heading home, focused on the journey: "Sometimes the journey is the reward, we haven't won absolutely anything yet, but no one can take away what we've lived through".
The last time Estudiantes and Palmeiras met at that stadium with the title at stake, the 'Pincha' left as champions of South America for the first time. Fifty-eight years later, the Centenario welcomes them both once again.
