Gaston Martirena and Adrian Martinez scored first-half goals as Argentina’s Racing won its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil’s Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final on Saturday.

Gaston Martirena and Adrian Martinez scored first-half goals as Argentina’s Racing won its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil’s Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final on Saturday. Martirena opened the scoring in the 15th minute and Martinez added a goal five minutes later to give “La Academia” its first international title since 1988 when it won the now defunct Supercopa Sudamericana.

Gaston Martirena gave Racing the lead at La Olla in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion in the 15th minute when he took a touch after Juan Fernando Quintero's pass before curling an improbable 25-yard effort into the far corner on Saturday.

Racing Club of Argentina captured its first Copa Sudamericana title by defeating Cruzeiro 3-1. Gaston Martirena and Adrian Martinez scored early goals, while Roger Martinez sealed the victory. This triumph is Racing's first international title since 1988,

President Santiago Peña of Paraguay expressed his confidence that the Copa Sudamericana final between Argentina's Racing and Brazil's Cruzeiro.

Racing Club and Cruzeiro meet at General Pablo Rojas in Asuncion for the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana final on Saturday. The Argentines fought back to edge Corinthians 4-3 on aggregate in the semifinals while the Brazilians narrowly overcame Lanus 1-0 to advance 2-1 over two legs.

Argentina's Racing won their first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Two football giants, Argentina's Racing and Brazil's Cruzeiro, will face off this Saturday in Asunción for their first Copa Sudamericana title, a trophy that has eluded these historic rivals in continental tournaments.