The Copa runneth over

True to form, the group stage of the 2009 Copa Libertadores was full of surprises. A couple of the forecasts I made in February when previewing the tournament for Soccernet have proved accurate, but one or two have been wide of the mark as well. I did tell you it was a tough one to make predictions on.

The knockout stage got underway this week with an all-Brazilian tie in the last 16 starting things off on Tuesday night as Palmeiras won 1-0 at home to surprise package Sport Recife, who qualified for the Copa by winning last year's Copa Brasil. There are a couple of big names missing already and some old giants rearing their heads again, but this being South America there's also been no shortage of controversy, especially surrounding the Mexican sides.

One pre-tournament prediction I did get was that Argentine giants River Plate would embarrass themselves. They failed to even make the knockout stage, despite winning their first match (an unconvincing 1-0 at home to Paraguay's Nacional), Universidad San Martín de Porres of Peru eventually edging them out. It's been a miserable tournament so far for Argentine sides in general; of the five who qualified for the groups only Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata feature in the last 16, whilst Lanús and San Lorenzo join River on the scrapheap. If both go through, Estudiantes and Boca will play each other in the quarter-finals.

Lanús's failure is frustrating. I said in February that I thought they might have the nous to go further this year than previously, but despite some sensational performances in the Argentine league, they were woeful in their group, finishing bottom. On their day, they're the best footballing side in Argentina, but failed to translate that to the continental stage. An indicator of their youth is that manager Luis Zubeldía only turned 28 (no typing error) at the start of the year. Future contenders, surely. In contrast, Boca have qualified for the next stage with ease whilst struggling badly on the home front; they may yet finish bottom of the Torneo Clausura.

Lanús were in good company: defending champions LDU Quito of Ecuador ended up bottom of their own group, a lack of continuity under Jorge Fossati, replacing former boss Edgardo Bauza after the Club World Cup, costing them even though they kept hold of most of the players who won the Copa last year. Colombia's Independiente Medellín and América de Cali were hopeful of demonstrating that their country's football is going into an upward spiral, but both were in the same group and eventually, lost out to São Paulo and Defensor Sporting of Uruguay.

The Uruguayan sides have done well, with three-times winners Nacional of Montevideo finishing top of River Plate's group (yes, you've read this article correctly, there were two teams both called Nacional in the same group) as well as Defensor qualifying. Combined with the national side's current position in the World Cup qualifying group, there's optimism on the north bank of the Río de la Plata at the moment.

It's not just been contrasting stories on the pitch, though. This wouldn't be a South American football article without a bit of controversy, and it was the Mexicans of Chivas who provided it. In their final group match, away to Chilean club Everton de Viña del Mar, Chivas were barracked throughout by home fans and - seemingly - players about the swine flu scare in their country.

After the match defender Héctor Reynoso responded to the taunts by spitting at and, in the eloquent words of CONMEBOL's official report on the incident, attempting to 'eject his nasal secretions' at an opponent. He's has been suspended (Chivas qualified for the second round, as did countrymen San Luis Potosí), and CONMEBOL were supposed to have announced how long he'd be banned for by the time I filed this article, but if they have done, I can't find the statement on their website.

This comes in the wider context of the confederation previously having announced that Mexican sides won't be allowed to play home matches in their own stadia until the epidemic is under control (Mexican championship matches for the last two weeks have been played behind closed doors). Initially Colombia was an alternative venue, but the government there said no. That's led to more time-wasting from the confederation.

Los Angeles was mooted - home games there, especially for Chivas, would draw big crowds - but Venezuela now seems a possibility, given that president Hugo Chávez is ever-willing to be a saviour of the 'oppressed'. CONMEBOL still haven't made their minds up, so have decided to postpone the relevant ties (São Paulo vs Chivas and San Luis Potosí vs Nacional) for a week to give themselves time to think. The Copa runneth over for CONMEBOL at present.

The next stage has already seen 2007's beaten finalists, Brazilian side Grêmio, open up a 3-1 lead away to San Martín de Porres thanks to two goals from former River and Barcelona forward Maxi López. They're one of five Brazilian sides still in the mix; whilst the Argentines have struggled, their rivals' league provides a significant chunk of the remaining competitors. As well as the all-Brazilian tie between Palmeiras and Sport, Cruzeiro, who've looked very impressive so far, take on the tricky Universidad de Chile, and as already mentioned São Paulo will play Chivas, once it's been worked out where the Chivas home leg will take place.

The remaining ties see Boca play Defensor Sporting, Estudiantes take on Libertad of Paraguay, and the tie between Deportivo Cuenca and Caracas (first leg 2-1 to Cuenca, in Cuenca) ensures there will at least be one side from the continent's north-west in the quarter-finals. With so many Argentine sides out Brazil could have three semi-finalists, but Chivas and Universidad de Chile are capable of throwing spanners in the world. Ultimately it's still anyone's guess whose cup it is.

And indeed, where a significant chunk of it will be played.