4 September 1960 - Champions Of Two Continents

On 4 September 1960, Real Madrid won the inaugural Intercontinental Cup, beating Peñarol 5-1.

UEFA and CONMEBOL established the Intercontinental Cup to pair the reigning European Cup holders against the current Copa Libertadores champions. For the first meeting in 1960, those teams were Real Madrid and Peñarol.

The Cup was played in two legs, with the winner determined by points, as opposed to aggregate goals. In the first leg, played on 3 July in Montevideo, the two sides battled to a scoreless draw, earning a point each. In the event they drew again in the second leg, they would have gone to replays until one side emerged with a win.

Ultimately, however, Real Madrid handled the second leg with ease. Playing at the Bernabeu before a crowd of over 100,000, the hosts rolled to a dominating 5-0 lead with goals from Ferenc Puskás (2', 8'), Alfredo di Stéfano (3'), Herrera (40'), and Francisco Gento (54'). Peñarol received a late consolation goal from striker Alberto Spencer in the 80th minute.

Peñarol won the Cup the following year, then again in 1966 and 1982. Real Madrid won it twice more, in 1998 and 2002.

19 April 1960 - Peña-rolls

On 19 April 1960, Uruguay's Peñarol and Bolivia's Club Jorge Wilstermann contested the inaugural match of the first Copa Campeones de América. Now known as the Copa Libertadores, it is the top club tournament in South America.

The competition was open to all South American domestic league champions, but only seven participated - San Lorenzo (ARG), Bahia (BRA), Universidad de Chile (CHI), Millonarios (COL), Olimpia (PAR), Peñarol (URU), and Jorge Wilstermann (BOL). The champions of Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela were invited, but did not attend, so the number of teams was unbalanced. As a result, the participants were divided into three two-team groups, with Olimpia winning the draw for a bye into the semifinals.

Peñarol hosted the tournament's first match at Montevideo's Estadio Centenario, with a crowd of about 35,000. It was a rout - Peñarol's Luis Borges scored the opening goal, one of his two on the day, while his teammate Alberto Spencer (pictured) adding four goals of his own. Luis Cubilla contributed another as the Uruguayan side won 7-1.

The Bolivians managed a 1-1 draw in the return leg, played in La Paz, but Peñarol went through to the semifinals, where they defeated San Lorenzo. They then beat Olimpia in the Final to claim the trophy - the first of the club's five Copa Libertadore titles.