Internacional 1980

Internacional reached the Copa Libertadores final for the first time in 1980. The team was the undefeated Brazilian champions of 1979, coached by Ênio Andrade and led by Falcão, and lost the final to Uruguayan Nacional.

History

Internacional started 1980 as the best team in the country. The team had won the 1979 Brazilian Championship without losing a single match, under the command of Ênio Andrade, and had as its main reference the midfielder Paulo Roberto Falcão. In the 1980 Copa Libertadores, Colorado advanced to the final for the first time in the club's history. The midfield with Falcão and the talent of Mário Sérgio gave quality to the team, while young defender Mauro Galvão was beginning to establish himself in the defense. The final was against Nacional of Montevideo. In the first leg, at Beira-Rio, the score remained 0-0. In the return, at Centenario Stadium, the Uruguayans won 1-0, with a goal by Waldemar Victorino, and took the continental title. Shortly after the final, Falcão was traded to Roma, ending the cycle of the generation that dominated Brazilian football in the late 1970s. Internacional's first Libertadores title would only come in 2006.