Nacional beat Peñarol in the final to claim the 2025 Uruguayan title | OneFootball

With a goal in overtime by Nigerian Christian Ebere, Nacional defeated their archrival Peñarol 1-0 this Sunday and won the 2025 Uruguayan Championship.

In a two-match final that captivated Uruguayan fans, Nacional celebrated at home, in the Gran Parque Central, with Ebere's goal after a dribble and a low right-footed shot, five minutes before the end of overtime, which was played following a goalless draw in regular time.

“I am very happy, very satisfied. We are Uruguayan champions. This is my great revenge, I had to give (the title) to Nacional,” said Ebere while celebrating the victory.

Played under rain, the second leg of the final had 90 dull minutes, without goals and with few chances created.

The best moments happened in overtime, with a disallowed goal for Nacional due to offside after a header by veteran defender Sebastián Coates, and a shot by Peñarol's forward Leandro Umpiérrez that hit the post of Panamanian goalkeeper Luis Mejía's goal.

A week earlier, at the Campeón del Siglo stadium, the first leg of the final ended in a 2-2 draw. Peñarol, led by Diego Aguirre, sought the draw after being down 2-0, but entered the field this Sunday with a feeling of disappointment, having to decide the championship on enemy territory.

The home draw was compounded by an Argentine court decision on Tuesday that dealt a severe blow to Peñarol's squad, convicting Diego García, a Peñarol player who played in the first leg of the final, for the rape of a woman in 2021, when he played for Estudiantes de La Plata.

Peñarol was the champion of the Clausura Tournament, defeating Liverpool, the champion of the Apertura, in the semifinal that determined who would face Nacional in the final, the team with the most points in the season. The two final matches, which crowned the team led by coach Jadson Vieira, were played without the presence of visiting fans.

Nacional and Peñarol will compete in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores, with the added bonus that the final, in a single match, will be played in Montevideo, as announced on Saturday by the president of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), Alejandro Domínguez.

Liverpool and Juventud will compete in the preliminary stages of the largest South American club tournament, whose 2025 edition was won by Flamengo on Saturday. Boston River, Racing, Defensor Sporting, and Montevideo City Torque will compete in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.