2 March 1980 - A Win Of Olympic Proportions

On 2 March 1980, Paraguayan side Olimpia won the Intercontinental Cup over Malmö with an aggregate score of 3-1 over two legs.

The Swedes weren't originally supposed to be there, as the competition was designed to pit the Copa Libertadores champions against the European Cup holders. But when Nottingham Forest, winners of the 1979 European Cup, declined to participate, Malmö were called in as runners-up.

In the first leg, played in Sweden on 18 November, Olimpia escaped with narrow win, beating the hosts 0-1 with a goal from forward Evaristo Isasi in the 41st minute. Then, in Asunción for the second leg, defender Alicio Solalinde (pictured) scored in the 39th minute to extend their aggregate lead to 2-0. Malmö midfielder Ingemar Erlandsson pulled one back shortly after the break, but it was the only time they got the ball past goalkeeper Hugo Almeida. Olimpia added another of their own for good measure to set the final margin at 3-1.

It was the last two-legged version of the Intercontinental Cup as the competition switched to a single-match format later that year. Olimpia returned in 1990 and again in 2002, but lost to AC Milan and Real Madrid, respectively.

31 July 2002 - They May Have Been Distracted By The Goalkeeper's Shirt

On 31 July 2002, Olimpia overturned a first-leg deficit against São Caetano to win their third Copa Libertadores on penalty kicks.

São Caetano, only two seasons removed from the Brazilian second division, had shocked Olimpia by winning 0-1 in the first leg, played in Ascunción the week before, with the lone goal coming from midfielder Ailton Delfino in the 61st minute. Hosting the second leg in São Paulo, they compounded the shock by again going up 1-0 with another goal from Delfino in the 31st minute.

But, this time, the Paraguayan side fought back. In the 59th minute, midfielder Gastón Córdoba drove a shot across the face of the goal and into the far corner. Then, ten minutes later, forward Richard Báez evened things up with a looping header. The teams remained level for the remainder of the match to force a decision by shootout.

Penalties were familiar to both teams in the tournament, as São Caetano needed them to get past Católica in the Round of 16 and Peñarol in the quarterfinals, while Olimpia used them to advance over Grêmio in the semifinals.

In the final, São Caetano started the shooutout and, after two kicks each, the teams were even at 2-2. But then both midfielder Marlon da Silva and defender Serginho sent their kicks for São Caetano over the bar. With Olimpia then leading 2-3, forward Mauro Caballero blasted his shot right down the middle, beating goalkeeper Silvio Luiz for the win.

19 June 1960 - They Started Strong And Finished Well

On 19 June 1960, Peñarol won the inaugural Copa Libertadores tournament with a late goal from midfielder Luis Cubilla. It was the first of their five titles, making them the third most successful club in the tournament.

Known originally as the Copa de Campeones de América, the competition was open to the champions of all CONMEBOL nations, though only seven clubs chose to participate. Peñarol, the Uruguayan champions, opened the tournament with a 7-1 crushing of Bolivian champions Jorge Wilstermann, then beat Argentina's San Lorenzo in the two-legged semifinal. Olimpia of Paraguay, meanwhile, received a first-round bye, starting their campaign by beating Colombia's Millonarios in the other semifinal.

The Final was played in two legs, with the winner decided by points (two for a win, one for a draw). In the first leg, played on 12 June at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Peñarol eked out a narrow 1-0 victory with a 79th-minute goal from the tournament's top scorer, Alberto Spencer.

The teams met for the second leg at the Estadio Manuel Ferreira in Asunción, where Olimpia forward Hipólito Recalde gave the home team a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. Had that score held to the final whistle, the teams would have been forced to play a third time in a replay. But Cubilla avoided that by finding an equalizer in the 83rd minute. The draw gave Peñarol three points to Olimpia's nil, making the Uruguayan side the competition's first champions.

Peñarol successfully defended their title in 1961 and went on to win again in 1966, 1982, and 1987. The five titles represent the third-best haul by any club, behind only Independiente (7) and Boca Juniors (6). Olimpia eventually won it in 1979, then again in 1990 and 2002.

25 July 1902 - Personally, I Would Have Picked "Esparta"

On 25 July 1902, a group of ten Paraguayans and one Dutchman created Club Olimpia in Asunción. It is Paraguay's oldest and most successful team, with 38 league titles and three Copa Libertadores trophies.

The original members were Paraguayans Sila Godoy, Fernando S. Pascual, José E. Torres, Gustavo M. Crovatto, Héctor Cabañas, Juan Rodi, Antonio Pedraza, Luis Marecos, Juan Mara and Genaro Gutiérrez Yegros, and Dutchman William Paats, who brought the very first football to Paraguay. He chose the club's name in honor of the Greek city of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics. Other name candidates included "Paraguay" and "Esparta."

Olimpia won their first league title in 1912 and have won at least one title in every decade since. They enjoyed their most successful period from 1978 to 1983, when they won six consecutive league titles and their first Copa Libertadores (1979). They have also had two undefeated seasons in 1959 (as part of five consecutive titles) and 1993. They won their last league title in 2000, but have since won their third Copa Libertadores in 2003 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2003.