10-man Botafogo wins its first Copa Libertadores title

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Botafogo overcame playing with 10 men to win its first Copa Libertadores title after beating fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final at Monumental de Nunez Stadium on Saturday.

After just 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore, one of Botafogo's best players, hit the head of Fausto Vera with his foot and was given a straight red card.

“It was so hard to have one less so early in a final. It was an unfortunate move,” Botafogo defender Alexander Barboza said. “But Gregore deserves this title as much as we do. We made history and that won’t ever be erased.”

Winger Luiz Henrique scored first in the 35th minute from close range, and was fouled for the penalty shot converted by Alex Telles in the 44th.

Eduardo Vargas headed Mineiro's only goal in the 46th while Junior Santos, the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with 10 goals, capped Botafogo's historic night with the third in injury time.

Brazil was assured of a sixth consecutive Copa Libertadores title and its 24th in history, just one less than Argentina.

It was also the third straight title for Rio de Janeiro clubs, after Fluminense in 2023 and Flamengo in 2022.

Botafogo, the last of the four big Rio clubs to win the Copa Libertadores, earned prize money of $23 million and a spot in the Club World Cup in the United States next year.

Despite sensationally losing Gregore, Botafogo reset and Luiz Henrique scored the opener. Henrique surged on the right flank and crossed to Marlon Freitas, who took a shot that was deflected. Henrique was in the right place to strike through the legs of goalkeeper Ederson.

Henrique and Ederson met again near the end of the first half when the striker surprised the keeper on the edge of the box. A penalty was given after a video review and left back Telles calmly slotted the ball home.

Mineiro came back with a more aggressive formation in the second half and was rewarded when veteran Hulk took a corner kick and Vargas, who replaced midfielder Gustavo Scarpa during the break, didn’t even need to jump to score with his head.

Mineiro had more chances to equalize through Deyverson in the 53rd, Hulk in the 56th, and Vargas in the 86th and 88th, all from close range.

But it was Botafogo’s Júnior Santos, who was sidelined by injury during the Copa, who scored the last goal.

“We just failed at getting some advantage at having one more player than them,” tearful Mineiro defender Rodrigo Battaglia said. “It was a very hard day for all of us.”

Botafogo coach Arthur Jorge joined Portuguese compatriots Jorge Jesus (Flamengo, 2019) and Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras, 2020 and 2021) as European coaches with a Copa Libertadores title.

Mineiro's Gabriel Milito missed the chance to be the first Argentine to win the tournament with a Brazilian club.

Botafogo also gave American owner John Textor his biggest trophy yet. Textor has been subject to criticism after unproven allegations about match-fixing when Botafogo squandered a 13-point lead last year and missed out on the league title.

“I grew up in Florida, which has a great connection with South American nations. For me, this is bigger than everything in Europe,” Textor said after the game.

He added the players he signed for Botafogo were free to choose their own path.

“What we do is to bring players, ask them to win trophies and then we honor their path. No multi-club (network) does that, an owner that leaves the decision to the player,” Textor said.

Next week, his team could win its first Brazilian title since 1995.

“I saw this was a hungry group of players since I joined,” said Telles, who joined Botafogo in mid-year. “No one was speaking about what happened last year, it hurt us all. We knew we had a burden to carry, to give something back to our fans. Now we did it.”

Botafogo was relegated from the league in 2020 but has risen to prominence again with Textor’s investment. He was part of a wave of foreign owners who came into Brazilian soccer after a 2021 law change paved the way for private investors.

Mineiro also has wealthy owner in Brazilian billionaire Rubens Menin, a construction mogul.

Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.

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Botafogo soccer fans celebrate winning the Copa Libertadores title match in Argentina, against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro, during a watch party at the Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Thiago Almada of Brazil's Botafogo kisses the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Copa Libertadores final soccer match against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ignacio Amiconi)

Igor Jesus of Brazil's Botafogo holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Copa Libertadores final soccer match against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.(AP Photo/Ignacio Amiconi)

Brazil's Atletico Mineiro soccer fan reacts after their team lost the the Copa Libertadores title match to Brazil's Botafogo, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Brazil's Botafogo won 3-1. (AP Photo/Thomas Santos)

Botafogo soccer fans celebrate their team's third goal scored by Junior Santos against Atletico Mineiro in the Copa Libertadores title match in Argentina, broadcast on a giant screen at a watch party at the Nilton Santos Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Players of Brazil's Botafogo hold the trophy as they celebrate after winning the Copa Libertadores final soccer match against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Botafogo soccer fans celebrate a goal scored by Luis Henrique against Atletico Mineiro in the Copa Libertadores title match, broadcast on a giant screen at a watch party at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A Brazil's Atletico Mineiro soccer fan reacts as she watches a live broadcast of her team go up against Brazil's Botafogo in the Copa Libertadores title match, at a bar in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Santos)

Eduardo Vargas of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's first goal against Brazil's Botafogo during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Alex Telles of Brazil's Botafogo celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro from the penalty spot during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo, right. is fouled by goalkeeper Everson of Brazil's Atletico Mineiro inside the penalty area during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Luiz Henrique of Brazil's Botafogo celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal against Brazil's Atletico Mineiro during a Copa Libertadores final soccer match at Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

HONOLULU (AP) — Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in Hawaii to begin a two-day transit in the U.S. as part of a trip to the South Pacific, his first since assuming office.

The stopover in Hawaii and one planned for the territory of Guam have drawn fierce criticism from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and objects to official exchanges between the self-ruled democracy and the U.S., the island's biggest backer and military provider.

There were no high-ranking U.S. or Hawaii state officials to greet Lai at the Honolulu hotel where supporters cheered in Mandarin, some waving Taiwanese flags. He visited Hawaii's leading museum of natural history and Native Hawaiian culture, Bishop Museum. Later, he was expected to attend a banquet with supporters.

Lai is on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island in the Pacific. Though Taiwan retains strong contacts with dozens of other nations, it has only 12 formal diplomatic allies.

Bishop Museum CEO Dee Jay Mailer presented Lai with a red lei hulu, or feather garland, made by master featherwork artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida. Lai gave Mailer a headdress, made by Paiwan Indigenous people of Taiwan, and neck and shoulder decorative pieces made by Atayal Indigenous people, also of Taiwan.

Lai's visit shows that Taiwan and the United States have a very strong relationship, said Arthur Chen, the president of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America. He flew to Hawaii from his home near Dallas to welcome the president to the U.S.

Chen said he understood the U.S. has its own foreign policy but he said Lai should be treated as a head of state during his stay.

Taiwan and the U.S. share common values like a belief in democracy and human rights, Chen said. “So we should help each other,” he said.

Lai didn't make any public remarks at his initial engagements in Hawaii, but spoke before his departure from Taiwan.

“I want to use the values of democracy, peace, and prosperity to continue to expand our cooperation with our allies, to deepen our partnership and let the world see Taiwan not just as a model of democracy, but a vital power in promoting the world's peace and stability, and prosperous development," he said at Taoyuan International Airport.

It is unclear whether Lai will meet with any members of the incoming U.S. administration during his transit.

President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg in July that Taiwan should pay for its defense. The island has purchased billions of dollars of defense weaponry from the U.S.

Trump evaded answering whether he would defend the island from Chinese military action. On Friday, the U.S. State Department said it approved the sale of $385 million in spare parts and equipment for a fleet of F-16s, as well as support for tactical communication system to Taiwan.

While the U.S. is obligated to help the island defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act, it has maintained a position of strategic ambiguity over whether it would ever get involved if Taiwan were to be invaded by China.

A second Trump administration is expected to test U.S.-China relations even more than the Republican’s first term, when the U.S. imposed tariffs on more than $360 billion in Chinese products.

Taiwan is one of the main sources of tension in the bilateral relationship.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday if the U.S. wanted to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, it is important for it to handle the Taiwan issue “with utmost caution, clearly opposing Taiwan independence and supporting China’s peaceful reunification.”

She also said China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the U.S. and Taiwan, including visits by Taiwan’s leaders to the U.S. for any reason.

When former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen went to the U.S. last year as part of a transit to Latin America, it drew vocal opposition from China. Tsai met with the former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the time. Tsai visited Hawaii in 2019.

The Chinese military also launched drills around Taiwan last year as a “stern warning” over what it called collusion between “separatists and foreign forces” days after Lai, then Taiwan’s vice president, stopped over in the U.S.

China also strongly objects to leading American politicians visiting the island as it views any official contact with foreign governments and Taiwan as an infringement on its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan. Washington switched its formal recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Wu reported from Bangkok.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, right, receives a flower lei from members of the Taiwanese American community at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A woman waves Taiwanese and American flags as the Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrives at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, arrives at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te greets people at the Kahala Hotel and Resort Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te smiles to the media as he departs for South Pacific at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Lai leave Taiwan on Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau 'X three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te waves to the media as he departs for South Pacific at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Lai leave Taiwan on Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau 'X three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te waves to the media as he departs for South Pacific at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Lai leave Taiwan on Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau 'X three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te waves to the media as he departs for South Pacific at Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Lai leave Taiwan on Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau 'X three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)