First leg of final of Copa Libertadores in Buenos Aires postponed due to rain

Soccer Football - Copa Libertadores Final - First Leg - Boca Juniors v River Plate - Alberto J. Armando Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 10, 2018 General view before the match was postponed REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The final of the Copa Libertadores, the first in history between Argentina's two biggest clubs Boca Juniors and River Plate, was postponed for one day on Saturday due to heavy rain, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said.

The match, due to played at Boca's Bombonera ground, will now take place on Sunday, kicking off 5 pm local time (2000 GMT), CONMEBOL said.

Torrential rain hit the Buenos Aires area throughout Friday and Saturday and the pitch was waterlogged and unplayable, officials ruled.

Soccer Football - Copa Libertadores Final - First Leg - Boca Juniors v River Plate - Alberto J. Armando Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 10, 2018 Boca Juniors fans inside the stadium after the match was suspended REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Photographs showed the playing surface covered in pools of water as the rain continued to fall just a couple of hours before the scheduled 4 pm kick off time.

The sold-out fixture is one of the most eagerly anticipated finals in the competition's history, pitting the two rivals against each other in the final for the first time.

Boca have won the Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the European Champions League, six times, to River's three.

Soccer Football - Copa Libertadores Final - First Leg - Boca Juniors v River Plate - Alberto J. Armando Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 10, 2018 Fans before the match REUTERS/Nacho Doce

(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and David Stamp)

Soccer Football - Copa Libertadores Final - First Leg - Boca Juniors v River Plate - Alberto J. Armando Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina - November 10, 2018 A Fan outside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Nacho Doce

The Copa Libertadores trophy is seen during a news conference ahead of the first leg final match between Boca Juniors and River Plate, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci