31/07/2026 22:56 - Deportes
Date: July 30, 2026 | Stadium: El Teniente, Rancagua, Chile
O'Higgins 1 - 0 Boca Juniors (Boca wins 4-3 on penalties). Aggregate: 1-1. Boca advances to the Round of 16.
For those unfamiliar, Boca Juniors (often called Xeneize due to their Genoese immigrant roots) is one of the biggest and most popular football clubs in Argentina. They traveled to Chile to face O'Higgins in the Copa Sudamericana, South America's equivalent to the UEFA Europa League. The Argentine giants had a night to forget on the pitch, but luck was on their side during the penalty shootout.
The Chilean side, managed by Lucas Bovaglio, scored at the 72nd minute through Francisco González, capitalizing on a defensive error by Boca. The match was officiated by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán. Despite winning the shootout, the images showed a relieved rather than joyous Boca squad, aware they were one penalty away from a massive embarrassment.
Boca's manager, Rodolfo Arruabarrena (often referred to as El Vasco), did not hide his dissatisfaction during the press conference. He acknowledged the opponent's superiority and the urgent need for his team to improve their mental resilience.
We had to advance, but I didn't like how we did it. The opponent was superior; it's true our goal was to advance. We are self-critical and know that playing like this, we will achieve few victories. I am not happy, the players are not happy. Happy to have advanced, but not with the performance.
Arruabarrena also made decisive changes, such as substituting Sebastián Villa for Flores just 11 minutes into the second half, showing he isn't afraid to make tough calls.
One of the most tense moments was young Tomás Aranda's missed penalty. He attempted to chip the ball (a Panenka), but O'Higgins' goalkeeper read it perfectly. Captain Leandro Paredes backed him up, praising his bravery for stepping up in a difficult moment, while noting the importance of learning to choose the right moments for such audacious plays.
We need to raise our level, improve our defensive focus, which will surely lead to overall improvement. It was clear that we suffered, but the important thing was to qualify, and we did it. We are not satisfied with our performance.
Boca Juniors has qualified for the Round of 16 of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana and will face Deportivo Recoleta from Paraguay. Despite the stumble, the team showed character to advance and has a great opportunity to keep growing in the tournament under Arruabarrena's guidance.
Sources: Filo.news and TyC Sports
Alfredo S. Quiroga
