April 28 (Reuters) - Franco Mastantuono took time out from preparing for a geography exam to score a spectacular curling free kick which helped River Plate beat arch-rivals Boca Juniors 2-1 in Sunday's Argentine Superclasico.

Buenos diaas. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QsOEFxulHG

South American soccer fans bring an energy and passion to sporting events that doesn’t exist in the United States. I’m trying to think of the best crowds in all of U.S. sports and the closest I can come up with is NFL and college football.

Does anyone remember that one iconic clip of the Penn State white out game where Michigan had to call a timeout on the first play because it was too loud? 

Here's the thing: Artists don't know how to create a proper statue of a soccer player, or those who try are not very talented. I mean, there are far too many examples of baller tributes becoming absolute fiascos, with the classic Cristiano Ronaldo bust leading the way.

Dentro de la lista de cosas que hacer antes de morir de cualquier futbolista sudamericano, seguro que hay una línea en que dice ser "campeón de una Copa Libertadores y campeón de una Champions League". Sin embargo, en la historia son pocos los jugadores que pueden presumir haber ganado los trofeos de los torneos continentales más importantes del planeta.

Pero de vez en cuando pasa y el central brasileño David Luiz es testimonio vivo de que ese deseo puede ser realidad.

During a distinguished playing career with Boca Juniors that included five Primera División titles and three Copa Libertadores triumphs, Argentine legend Juan Román Riquelme made a habit of destroying rival River Plate.

He loved nothing more than snatching the souls of lost Millonarios. 

24/05/00

The Greatest Nutmeg Ever

By Juan Román Riquelme on Mario Yepespic.twitter.com/hs1T4bWuE2

The road to the 2022 Copa Libertadores Final at El Monumental in Guayaquil, Ecuador, gets serious this week with the start of the Round of 16 across South America.

The first team to get a shot at back-to-back champion Palmeiras is Paraguay's Cerro Porteño, but they'd need one of the tournament's greatest ever upsets to knock out Abel Ferreira's side. Atlético Mineiro is probably up next for Palmeiras in the quarterfinals, although the Galo must first overcome Ecuador's Emelec.