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Remembering Real Madrid's last defeat in an international final

Matthew Ashton - EMPICS / PA Images / Getty

There was a time when Boca Juniors could beat Real Madrid by outplaying Los Blancos. It wasn't even that long ago. At the 2000 Intercontinental Cup, which pitted the winner of the Champions League against the conqueror of the Copa Libertadores, Los Xeneizes took a fearless approach to the Spanish club and were rewarded with a 2-1 victory.

The game marks Real Madrid's last defeat in an international final.

At the turn of the millennium, the gap between European football and its South American counterpart wasn't massive. While the planet's best footballers were congregating in Europe as a result of globalisation, there was still a contingent of world-class players in South America. The financial disparities between the two weren't as exaggerated as they were 10 years later. Los Blancos were the strongest club in Europe, but that didn't mean they were the strongest club on Earth.

It was a freezing, windy night in Tokyo when Boca took the pitch against Real Madrid. The weather was comparable to a chilly evening in Buenos Aires, and nearly 3,000 of Los Xeneizes' supporters made the trip to Japan, hoping to see the Argentinian club make history.

Within six minutes, Boca was winning 2-0. Martin Palermo scored both goals. The blonde striker volleyed the ball past Iker Casillas to draw first blood and one-timed the sphere into the back of the net following a wonderful pass from the last of a dead breed, Juan Roman Riquelme. It was a start nobody thought possible. A defensive quartet of Geremi, Fernando Hierro, Aitor Karanka, and Roberto Carlos were made to look like fools.

"To be honest, no one prepares for that, it was a complete surprise, especially against a team like Real Madrid," Palermo said, according to the Guardian.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

It didn't take long for Real Madrid to fire back. Roberto Carlos' left foot, the one he used to defy the laws of physics, rocketed the ball past Oscar Cordoba only six minutes later. But that was Los Blancos' lone goal. Los Xeneizes defended for their lives in the second half, and withstood attack after attack. Even when the Colombian 'keeper was defeated, the Argentinian club was rescued by the referee's whistle. Two goals were disallowed for offside.

Boca's humbling of Real Madrid marked the first time in six years that a South American club won the Intercontinental Cup, and the first time since 1977 that Los Xeneizes won the tournament. At a time when European football was just beginning to pull ahead, the Argentinian club took the game to one of Europe's giants.

Speaking after the game, Carlos Bianchi, the most successful manager in the history of Boca, declared: "This victory is not only for Boca but for the people of Argentina. We were able to prove tonight that Argentine football is the best in the world."

Boca is the last club to defeat Real Madrid in an international final. Los Blancos have won eight international finals since falling to Boca, including four in the Champions League, two in the UEFA Super Cup, and another two in the Club World Cup. They are a club that shines on the biggest stages.

Today, South American clubs can only hope to defeat Real Madrid, or any of Europe's behemoths, by playing defensively.

As the Club World Cup illustrates, it's still possible for South American clubs to beat European clubs. But no longer can it be done by outplaying the opponent. Such an approach is suicidal. Those days are long and gone.

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