Gabriel Pierin, from the Memorial Center
By lifting their fifth Rio-São Paulo Tournament trophy in 1997, Santos booked their place in the seventh edition of the Copa Conmebol, founded in 1992. After a journey full of obstacles and overcoming tough opponents in the knockout rounds—Once Caldas in the round of 16, LDU in the quarterfinals, and Sampaio Corrêa in the semifinals—the Black and Whites reached the continental final. On October 21, 1998, the Vila Belmiro club secured their seventh international title by holding Rosário Central to a goalless draw in Argentina.
The First Step at Vila Belmiro
The first leg of the final took place on October 7 at Vila Belmiro. In an extremely tense, scrappy match, Peixe got the job done at home, winning 1–0 thanks to a solitary goal from Claudiomiro. The heated atmosphere was reflected in the referee's disciplinary decisions: Santos coach Emerson Leão and players Viola and Jean were shown red cards, while the Argentine side had three players sent off.
Tension in Rosario and the Battle at the Gigante de Arroytio
Santos faced a dire situation heading into the return leg. Besides the suspended Viola and Jean, coach Leão was without the injured Argel, Lúcio, and Jorginho, traveling to Argentina with a depleted squad of just 15 players. Aware of the hostile atmosphere awaiting them, the Santos board demanded additional security at a meeting with Conmebol president Nicolás Leoz.
Those fears were confirmed as soon as the team arrived at the Gigante de Arroytio stadium. Surrounded by a frenzied crowd of approximately 50,000—7,000 above the official capacity—the Santos bus was hemmed in by home supporters, forcing the police to fire warning shots to clear a path.
After considerable chaos and a 40-minute delay, the match finally kicked off. With only two outfield players on the bench, the Black and Whites had to redouble their defensive efforts to withstand the home side's pressure, avoiding injuries at all costs, even though heavy challenges were inevitable.
Tensions flared again when Eduardo Marques lost his head and was sent off; shortly afterward, Argentina's Daniele also received a red card. Drawing on his considerable experience, Paraguayan referee Ubaldo Aquino managed to steer the closing minutes of that “battle” through to the final whistle.
A Triumph Against the Odds
With a monumental performance from goalkeeper Zetti and an impeccable display of collective grit, Santos held on for a 0–0 draw. One of the hardest-fought titles in Peixe's glorious history was theirs.
Heroes of the Campaign
To reach the summit of South American football, the Black and Whites relied on the dedication of the following players: Zetti, Argel, Athirson, Anderson, Claudiomiro, Sandro, Lúcio, Narciso, Viola, Jorginho, Adiel, Nando (GK), Jean, Baiano, Dutra, Élder, Marcos Bazílio, Fernandes, Alessandro, Baez, Fernando Fumagalli, Fernando, Eduardo Marques, Gustavo Nery, and Ronaldo Marconato.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.