31/07/2026 13:37 - Deportes
On July 30, 2026, Boca Juniors secured a dramatic passage to the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana by defeating O'Higgins 4-3 on penalties at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua, Chile. The aggregate score was 1-1 after Boca had won 1-0 at La Bombonera and the Chilean side equalized through a goal by Francisco González in regular time.
The repechaje (playoffs) is a stage where teams that finished third in the Copa Libertadores group stage (like Boca) face the runners-up from the Copa Sudamericana group stage (like O'Higgins) to decide who advances to the round of 16 of the continental tournament.
Despite the advancement, head coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena was highly critical of his team's performance in the press conference. The manager admitted the team struggled and that the opponent was superior for much of the match.
We had to go through, but I didn't like the way we did it. We suffered after the first 10 or 15 minutes. The opponent was superior. We are self-critical and we know that this way we will get few victories.
Arruabarrena also explained he made only one substitution in 90 minutes (Leonel Flores for Sebastián Villa) because he saw the team handling the blow of the goal well. He pointed to the need to improve mentally, calling it more a psychological issue than a lack of fight, and acknowledged they are looking for a center forward in the transfer market as Adam Bareiro's recovery might take time.
Boca will visit Newell's on Sunday for the third round of the Torneo Clausura, after losing 3-0 to Deportivo Riestra in their debut.
An unusual situation occurred after the match: Boca Juniors players decided not to give statements to the official TV broadcast. According to journalist Marcelo Benedetto, Leandro Paredes had approached to speak but was called to the locker room, and the rest of the squad followed without giving interviews.
This attitude will result in a fine of $10,000 per player from CONMEBOL. Paredes eventually spoke in the mixed zone and emphasized that if they play like they did in the final minutes, they can achieve things, but otherwise it will be difficult.
Boca will face Deportivo Recoleta of Paraguay in the round of 16. The first leg will be played between August 11 and 13 (Boca at home), and the return leg between August 18 and 20 as visitors.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
