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LDU became the first Ecuadorean club to win the Copa de Libertadores, beating Brazil's Fluminense on penalties after a 5-5 aggregate draw.

The little-fancied Ecuadoreans lost the second leg of the final 3-1 but led 4-2 from the first leg, with no away goals rule in the tournament.

Fluminense midfielder Thiago Neves scored a hat-trick in vain as LDU won the shootout 3-1 to stun the 86,000 crowd at the Maracana.

Leading 4-2 from the first leg, LDU scored in the fifth minute through striker Luis Bolanos but then fell apart.

Fluminense, whose coach Renato had guaranteed victory before the game, netted three goals in less than an hour and looked certain to complete the job.

But they ran out of steam and failed to score in the remaining half hour of normal time or in extra-time.

Three of their four kicks were saved by LDU goalkeeper Jose Cevallos in the shootout, including one from Neves.

"I scored three goals but they weren't worth anything because we didn't win the trophy," Neves said.

LDU were presented with the trophy in a nearly empty stadium around 20 minutes after the end of the game, the crowd having left en masse as soon as the penalties finished.

The match began 10 minutes late as officials tried to move a group of photographers who were in the wrong position on the touchline.

LDU struck when Joffre Guerron made one of his trademark runs down the right and pulled the ball back to Bolanos, who scored with a low shot which took a deflection.

Fluminense, who had won all previous six home games in the competition, needed only seven minutes to equalise.

Neves slipped past one defender and scored with a low 25-metre shot as Cevallos was late to react.

"Flu" went ahead in the 28th minute when LDU's flat back four was caught out at a throw-in, Cicero broke down the left and found Neves who scored easily from close range.

LDU were by now a collective nervous wreck and it was no surprise when Fluminense levelled the aggregate scores in the 57th minute, Neves floating a 25-metre free kick over the wall and into the corner as Cevallos again reacted slowly.

A decisive Fluminense goal looked only a matter of time but instead the hosts lost momentum and LDU fought back.

Fernando Henrique was forced to turn away a low shot from Patricio Urrutia before LDU forward Claudio Bieler hit the post with a shot on the turn.

In the 116th minute, Bieler headed in from Enrique Vera's long cross but the goal was disallowed for offside.

One minute later, Fluminense were close to the settling the match when Neves had a close-range shot saved by Cevallos.

With the last move of the game, Guerron burst from defence and ran the length of the field before being bundled over by Fluminense captain Luis Henrique who was sent off.

Paul Ambrossi fired the free kick into the wall.

Reuters