It was a historic night for Córdoba’s Club Atlético Talleres, who beat Argentine football giant River Plate on penalties to win the 2023 Supercopa International on Wednesday. It’s the club’s first major title since winning the 1999 Conmebol Cup.

The tournament matches up the previous year’s Trofeo de Campeones with the best placed team in the Liga Professional’s overall table. River played as the 2023 Trofeo de Campeones, while Talleres played as the second-best placed team in the overall table, given the Millonario finished first.

The game proved to be an uninspired spectacle. While Talleres looked the more determined team, neither was able to take control of the game. Scoring chances came sparsely and from low quality shots, ensuring the score was the same after the 90 minutes of regulation and the additional 30 minutes of added time. The final draw determined the game be defined via a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, the goalkeepers — and misses — became the protagonists. Shots for River by Matías Rojas, Gonzalo Montiel, Facundo Colidio, and Manuel Lanzini were either saved or missed, while Talleres players Emanuel Reynoso, Cristian Tarragona, and Diego Ortegoza also saw their shots go off the mark. In the end, Gastón Benavidez converted Talleres’ sixth kick of the night to seal the title for the Cordobese team.

River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo admitted the team “didn’t show the fans what we’re working for,” but insisted it wasn’t the time to “go crazy and see everything black.”

“There were three rivals out there today: the other team, the weather, and especially ourselves,” he said. “We have no excuses, we were our own obstacles.”

Talleres head coach Alexander Medina admitted the team’s play wasn’t at its best, but insisted the game was a special one. He added he was “very proud” of fulfilling his goal to win a title with the club after several narrow misses. 

“There was no tomorrow for us, the players played with their hearts,” he added. “We all needed a title. We have to value this, it’s what all of Córdoba wanted.”