Boca may have won the initial battle when the sides met in the Primera División last Sunday but the Copa Libertadores is of even greater importance and River Plate exacted at least partial revenge last night in the Estadio Monumental. The tie is far from over but Carlos Sánchez’s late penalty gave River a slender advantage to take to La Bombonera after what was a tetchy, ill-tempered match that lacked quality but exuded passion.
Much like on Sunday, it was the home side who shaded the match but both sides enjoyed spells of pressure and had chances to score. The off-form Teo Gutiérrez came close before the break and less than a minute after half time, Jonathan Calleri spurned the best chance of the game for Boca when he ran clear, one-on-one with Marcelo Barovero and saw his tame effort palmed round the post.
Uncharacteristically, Sánchez was then guilty of missing a chance that he would normally rifle into the net but he would soon redeem himself. Substitute, Pity MartÍnez was tripped by a clumsy Leandro Marín challenge and Sánchez sent Agustín Orión the wrong way with the resulting penalty.
Teo Gutiérrez gave a reminder of why he is not a player to trust in high-pressure atmospheres when he stupidly got himself sent off late on for a high challenge on Guillermo Burdisso and Boca midfielder Pablo Pérez is likely to be sanctioned for cameras picking up him spitting at Pity MartÍnez. In addition to the shoulder injury suffered by Daniel Díaz, both sides could be set to miss key personnel for the return next Thursday.
River manager Marcelo Gallardo said at full-time: “We had to be decisive, aggressive and intense and tonight was all that. The victory was fair. Maybe we could have scored another goal. I’m Satisfied… we had to win and not to concede goals.”
Victory was fair and not conceding was crucial but there is still a lot to do next Thursday. River were indeed aggressive and no doubt will be again in La Bombonera, particularly when trying to stifle Fernando Gago in midfield, but Boca should present far more of an attacking threat knowing that they must overturn the one-goal margin.
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