Atletico Mineiro's Ronaldinho tries to control the ball against Olimpia at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

 

Atletico Mineiro of Brazil won the Libertadores Cup for the first time on Wednesday by beating Paraguay's three-time champions Olimpia 4-3 in a shootout after their two-leg final ended 2-2 on aggregate.

Central defender Leonardo ­Silva scored once in normal time and netted the Brazilian side's fourth penalty before midfielder Matias Gimenez shot Olimpia's fifth against the post to spark wild celebrations by a 60,000 crowd at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, north of Rio de Janeiro. Victor had saved Olimpia's first kick.

Trailing 2-0 from the first-leg defeat in Asuncion, the capital and largest city of ­Paraguay, last week, Atletico pulled a goal back through Jo in the 46th minute, and then leveled the aggregate score when Silva headed home three minutes from the end of normal time.

Olimpia's Julio Manzur was sent off in the 85th minute, leaving the Paraguayan side a man short for the whole of extra time, but ­neither team could deliver another goal.

It marked a fourth successive Brazilian ­victory in South America's elite club ­competition and put Atletico into the Club World Cup in ­December.

"It was the title I was missing. I came back to Brazil for this. Everyone said I was finished, let them talk now," Atletico's talismanic ­playmaker Ronaldinho told reporters on the pitch, who had been due to take his team's fifth penalty if necessary.

A World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 and Champions League winner with ­Barcelona in 2006, Ronaldinho, the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, returned to his home country in 2011 with his top ambition being to win the South American continental cup to go with his other honors.

With the victory, he joined a ­select group of players to have lifted the South ­American and European club titles.

Olimpia, aiming for their fourth ­Libertadores Cup title and first since 2002, were left ruing a host of golden goal opportunities.

"You can't miss so many chances in a Cup ­final," the Paraguayan side's coach Ever ­Almeida, who won the title twice as a player with Olimpia, told Fox Sports. "We should have settled the tie in first half but we're proud to be vice-champions of South America."

Atletico had already made remarkable ­recoveries in the previous two rounds, owing their survival to a penalty save by goalkeeper Victor in the dying seconds of the quarterfinal against Mexico's Tijuana, and another in the ­semifinal shootout ­victory over Argentina's Newell's Old Boys.

Victor gave Atletico the ideal start in the shootout on Wednesday, saving from defender Herminio Miranda and ­Atletico converted all four of their penalties.

Victor dedicated the ­victory to Atletico's fans.

"I'm crying tears of joy," he said. "Now we have to ­celebrate and let the fans enjoy it. They deserve this more than anyone."

While Atletico's players were ­receiving their ­medals and the ­trophy, some fans ran onto the pitch of the newly ­refurbished World Cup stadium and ­almost got into a fight with Olimpia ­players but stewards controlled the ­situation.

Agencies - Global Times