RIO DE JANEIRO, July 3 (Reuters) - Memories of Brazil's 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup were revived when Ecuador's LDU won the Libertadores Cup at the same Maracana stadium against local side Fluminense, Brazilian media said.
Just as in 1950, when Brazil supporters believed defeat in the tournament's decisive game to be an impossibility, thousands of Fluminense fans went to the stadium on Wednesday believing the outcome to be a foregone conclusion despite LDU's 4-2 first leg win.
Fluminense duly followed the script by rushing to a 3-1 lead in less than one hour, wiping out the first leg deficit.
But, even with 30 minutes of extra time to play with, they failed to add to their tally, the tie ended 5-5 and an unexpected twist followed as LDU won 3-1 on penalties.
"The Maracana was prepared to crown Fluminense's Libertadores conquest with a big party but instead relived a drama similar to 1950, frustrating the 80,000 Tricolor fans," said the daily newspaper O Globo.
"In a dramatic end, Fluminense lost the Libertadores and the party turned to tears."
O Dia followed a similar line.
"The mournful silence which fell over the Maracana after Washington missed Fluminense's last penalty... can only be compared to the Brazilian loss to Uruguay, also in July, 58 years ago," it said.
It was the second time this year a Brazilian team has suffered a dramatic loss at the stadium.
Fluminense's arch-rivals Flamengo went out in the second round after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at home to Mexico's America, having won the first leg 4-2 away.
The game was their last under coach Joel Santana, before he left to take over the South African national side.
In contrast, Ecuadorean media were jubilant after LDU, full name Liga Deportiva Universitaria, brought the trophy to the Andean nation for the first time.
"Liga had their carnival in Rio," said El Comercio, based in LDU's home city of Quito.
Guayaquil's El Universo said: "LDU wrote the most brilliant chapter in the history of Ecuadorean football."
(Reporting by Julio Villaverde; additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Justin Palmer)