The first leg of the Copa Libertadores final, set to be a Superclásico derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate, has been postponed after heavy rain made the pitch at Boca’s La Bombonera stadium unplayable. The game will now be played on Sunday with a 4pm (9pm GMT) kick-off time.
The announcement came after confusion and mixed signals during the day, with organisers from the South American confederation Conmebol initially insisting the game would go ahead despite torrential rain and flooding near the ground in Buenos Aires.
As the storm continued to lash the Argentinian capital, organisers initially tried to delay the kick-off from 3pm (8pm GMT) by either two hours or four hours. Boca’s team coach had set off for the stadium only to turn back and return to their hotel before the decision was made to postpone the match.
Home fans had already started to fill La Bombonera, despite the deluge leaving the pitch waterlogged and water pouring through the stadium concourses. After the game was initially slated to take place on Monday or Wednesday, it will now take place on Sunday. The second leg is scheduled for Saturday 24 November, at River’s La Monumental stadium.
