LDU Quito

If there is one defining characteristic that makes the Copa Libertadores the complete antithesis to the UEFA Champions League, it is the way in which it tends to reinvent itself. Minnows rise and the mighty fall, and such a sequence of events encapsulates perfectly the fate of Ecuador’s LDU Quito over the last two seasons. Considered rank outsiders last year, a powerful, crafty side complemented by dazzling flair and creativity in attacking areas managed to shock everyone in going all the way to the final – and then won the competition. This year it was different. Shorn of most of their best players, whose exploits earnt them lucrative moves elsewhere, LDU flopped, winning only 1 game from 6 and finishing bottom of their group. Back to the drawing board for Jorge Fossati and his men.

River Plate

To those who saw the Argentine giants bumble their way hopelessly to bottom of the national league in their last campaign, River Plate’s failure to qualify from the group stages will probably come as no surprise. Nonetheless Los Millionarios are one of the continent’s giant clubs and a lot was expected of them in the Libertadores, particularly in a pretty straightforward looking group. The fact that River lost every single away game went someway towards highlighting their deficiencies. That it was lowly Nacional of Paraguay who struck the final blow and eliminated them, despite already being out themselves and resting players for their domestic league, only makes it harder to swallow.

San Lorenzo

Pretty much hopeless for much of the competition, San Lorenzo’s two wins and four defeats further compounded the misery for Argentine teams in this year’s Libertadores. So far, of five teams from Argentina three are already out. Coach Miguel Angel Russo, who went all the way as manager of Boca Juniors in 2007, ended up resigning back at the team hotel directly after defeat in Mexico to San Luis saw El Ciclon eliminated. And though San Lorenzo did suffer because of injuries to key players, ultimately they were simply not good enough.

So conversely, who were the teams that surprised in getting to the last sixteen?

Universidad de San Martin

Though Universidad de San Martin have performed wonders domestically, winning two Peruvian league titles in two years despite only being formed by the local university in 2004, nobody expected them to navigate their way past River Plate and into the last sixteen. After all, this is a team playing in only their second ever Copa Libertadores – a team that River Plate thrashed 5-0 just last year. In qualifying they became the first Peruvian side to make it to the knockout phase for five years. Tim Vickery’s excellent recent column for the BBC delves deeper into the San Martin phenomenon.

Deportivo Cuenca

As a team that could only finish third in their domestic league, not a lot was expected of Deportivo Cuenca. They have flattered to deceive in previous campaigns and had never before made it past the group stage. Until now. 3 out of 3 home wins formed the basis for the Venezuelans to progress, including a 1-0 win over Boca Juniors, and three goals in six from Brazilian striker Rodrigo Teixeira helped fire Deportivo into the last sixteen for the first time in their history.