Fifteen teams fell in the qualifying rounds of the Copa Libertadores, South America's premier club competition. Another 16 failed to make it out of the group phase -- leaving 16 teams, including 11 former champions, to do battle in the knockout rounds.

All the representatives from five countries -- Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela -- have been eliminated. A pair of teams from Ecuador are the only remaining contestants from the north of the continent, in a field dominated by Brazil and...

From time to time, Europe's Champions League throws up shocks, such as Tottenham's dramatic run to this year's final or Liverpool's amazing comeback to eliminate Barcelona on Tuesday.

In general, though, there is a large dose of predictability. The major honours are shared around a select group of clubs.

In South America's Copa Libertadores, meanwhile, things are more fluid. No one has managed to retain the title since 2001. Successful teams are always being broken up, opening space for rivals to...

On a gloriously sunny afternoon in front of a Maracana stadium packed with fans in their red and black colours, Flamengo beat local rivals Vasco da Gama 2-0 on Sunday in the second leg of the final of the Rio State Championship. This was a repeat of the first-leg scoreline, and so, by a comfortable margin, Flamengo are kings of their own hill, with Rio bragging rights assured.

But there is no time to celebrate. Being champion of Rio de Janeiro is all very well. It is a historic title -- but one which...