LIMA: Three minutes and eight seconds. That was the difference between despair and glory for Flamengo, the new champions of the Copa Libertadores.

Flamengo won their second South American title in dramatic fashion when they produced two last-gasp goals to overcome defending champions River Plate 2-1 in the final on Saturday.

River took the lead through Rafael Borre after 14 minutes and looked to be cruising to their fifth Libertadores triumph.

However, Gabriel Barbosa, the prolific striker nicknamed Gabigol, tapped in from close range with a minute left and then rifled home from 15 metres to secure victory in an astonishing finale and give the Rio de Janeiro giants their first Libertadores crown in 38 years.

After turning the game on its head, Barbosa then got sent off along with River’s Ezequiel Palacios.

The result means Flamengo will represent the South American confederation in the Club World Cup in Qatar in December.

Flamengo are Brazil’s most popular club but hadn’t won the Copa since 1981 when Zico was wearing No 10.

Flamengo’s title also changed the history of Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, who transformed the team in less than six months. His first major title followed two Europa League final defeats with Benfica in 2013 and 2014.

“This is surely the most important title of my career,” said Jesus, who won the Portuguese league three times. “This final was seen in 176 countries, by millions of people who now see the skills of these two great sides. Either could have won.”

The final in Lima was the first to be played on a one-off basis at a neutral venue in the competition’s 60-year history. The South American showpiece was originally set for Santiago, but the venue was switched to Lima because of the last month’s deadly social protests in Chile.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2019