After the Recopa triumph, Internacional struggled to refill the ranks left after the triumphant generation of 2006; the club finished in 11th place in the Série A, which was barely enough to allow Internacional to participate in the 2008 Copa Sudamericana. In 2008, Internacional won their state championship and participated in a friendly tournament called Dubai Cup 2008. In the same year, Internacional won the Copa Sudamericana, beating Argentine side Estudiantes de La Plata, becoming the first Brazilian winners of the trophy. Internacional repeated the Copa Sudamericana title; finished in a much-improved 6th place in the national league; retained their state title; reached the finals of the Copa do Brasil (the best finish the club has had since 1999); and won the Suruga Bank tournament. On April 2, 2009, Inter launched its third uniform celebrating its Centenary, with a golden shirt, red shorts and red socks. The golden shirt represented the glories won in their history. On August 2009, English club Tottenham Hotspur announced that a partnership was completed between the two clubs. The team performed extremely well on the 2009 Brazilian Championship, finishing as runners-up to Flamengo by 2 points. With this 2nd place, Internacional qualified to participate, once again, in the 2010 Copa Libertadores.