09/07/2026 10:55 - Deportes
Published on July 8, 2026
The iconic Argentine football club, Boca Juniors (popularly known as 'Xeneize' due to their Genoese immigrant founders), returned to action in an international friendly held at the Padre Martearena Stadium in Salta, a stunning province located in the north of Argentina. With their sights set on upcoming official competitions, the team showed flashes of its potential under the management of Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who informally made his debut as head coach using a 4-3-3 formation.
The only goal of the match came in the 28th minute of the first half, thanks to a defining strike by Lautaro Blanco, who seized the opportunity to give Boca Juniors the lead. Despite the team's dominance, the game became complicated in the second half when goalkeeper Santos was sent off in the 59th minute after a foul on Leonel Flores, leaving the team with ten men.
The red card forced tactical rearrangements, but the defense held firm and kept a clean sheet until the final whistle.
With this preparation match, the team is fine-tuning its performance for upcoming official challenges. The next hurdle will be on July 16, when they face Sarmiento in the Round of 32 of the Copa Argentina (a prestigious nationwide knockout tournament featuring clubs from all divisions of Argentine football). Crucial matches in the Copa Sudamericana (South America's equivalent of the UEFA Europa League) against Chilean side O'Higgins, and the Torneo Clausura (the second half of the Argentine local league season) against Deportivo Riestra are also on the horizon. The future looks bright and full of hope for the blue and gold fans!
Alfredo S. Quiroga
