In the 1989 Copa Libertadores, Internacional started poorly; they managed to progress to the Round of 16 but only after finishing third in their group, winning only two matches, drawing once and losing three. However, that would change in the knockout stages as Inter defeated five-times Libertadores winners Peñarol 1–2 in Montevideo and 6–2 in Porto Alegre. The quarter-finals saw the team face off against Brazilian champions Bahia in a rematch of the Brasileirao finals they disputed a few months earlier; this time, Internacional beat Bahia 1–0 at home and ground out a 0–0 draw to progress to the semi-finals and exact revenge on the tricolor de aço.