Boca was eliminated in the semifinals of the Argentine Cup after falling 4-3 to Velezin a great game that had everything. Although he was able to partially turn the match around, the team he currently leads Fernando Gago It has a coincidence that is repeated in the latest Xeneize eliminations. The thing is almost every time he was left out in a direct duel, he suffered the expulsion of a player.
In the captivating match between Boca and Vélez at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba, Luis Advíncula was sent off as soon as the second half began. When only three minutes of the game had elapsed, the Peruvian defender kicked Matías Pellegrini with a tremendous kick. From behind and with his point guards, the right back hit the Fortín player who had already released the ball.
It should be noted that when the first half was diluted, Advíncula escaped expulsion after also bringing down Pellegrini, who was going hand in hand against Leandro Brey. Pablo Echavarría considered that he did not have control of possession towards Boca’s goal and that is why he admonished the defender. It mattered little, because a few moments later the Peruvian would receive the red card.
This behavior became a custom among the players on the riverside team. In recent times, in the vast majority of important matches, Xeneize finished the match outnumbered and that was reflected in the results. In many classics and even in other mata-mata that came out unscathed, he could not finish with 11 players on the field of play.
But if the eye is placed more precisely on the direct elimination matches that Boca was eliminated, it is a case that is repeated too often to be a simple coincidence. In recent years, with 2020 as a starting point, he had players expelled in seven defining crosses which meant being left in the way of different competitions.
Since the radical leadership change that occurred in December 2019, with Juan Roman Riquelme At the head of the project, Boca had a common denominator in the vast majority of eliminations. The thing is that the games almost never end with all the players on the field. Although there are repeat offenders, names also change and the same story repeats itself.
Boca’s latest expulsions in direct duels
In the Copa Libertadores 2020Also in the semifinals, Boca faced Santos. After the apathetic goalless draw at Bombonera, the decisive match was played in San Pablo. There the team led by Miguel Ángel Russo was beaten 3 to 0 and Frank Fabra was expelled. For a senseless attack on an opponent who was on the ground, the Colombian full-back received the red card.
In the final of Champions Trophy 2022against Racing in San Luis, an unusual and unusual situation occurred in football: Seven Boca players were sent off! (Sebastián Villa, Alan Varela, Luis Advíncula, Carlos Zambrano, Diego González, Frank Fabra and Darío Benedetto). In that final the match ended before regulation time due to the insufficient number of players.
Then, in the final of the Libertadores 2023 where Boca faced Fluminense at the Maracaná Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, one of the protagonists once again repeated. Frank Fabra He saw the red card for slapping Nino, while the second half of extra time was being played and Boca was losing by a single goal with an extra man.
Days later, in Argentine Cup 2023Boca and Estudiantes faced each other in one of the semifinals and on that occasion he was expelled Marcelo Saracchi when 14 minutes into the first half. The Uruguayan defender hit a rival in the tibia in an inexplicable way, even though the ball was several meters away. Referee Yael Falcón Pérez did not hesitate and showed the left back the red card.
Also against Estudiantes de La Plata but for the semifinal of the League Cup 2024what looked like a victory for Boca ended in tragedy. Then Cristian Lema He was sent off for kicking Tiago Palacios in the head, in an attempt to clear the ball from the area. Xeneize, who were looking to sweep the competition, were eliminated against Pincha, who won days later.
For the round of 16 of the South American Cup 2024Boca visited Cruise with an advantage by the minimum that he had achieved in La Bombonera. Incredibly, 9 seconds into the game Luis Advíncula received the red card. The Peruvian stomped on Lucas Romero and was immediately sent off by the referee, so Xeneize played the rest of the match with one less.
The people of Boca were understanding with the Peruvian, who apologized after his crash in Belo Horizonte and returned to the Bombonera without feeling the public’s disapproval. In Córdoba the feeling was different: On the way to the locker room he received whistles for his recklessness.
To reach those round of 16, Boca had to play an uncomfortable round-trip playoff against Valley Independentwhich began with an administrative piece of paperwork: an oversight by the club did not allow the reinforcements to be noted on the list in good faith. It was a draw in Quito and a 1-0 victory in La Bombonera against a very minor rival but who was strong until the end thanks to the fact that Xeneize was left with one less: the youth team. Milton Delgado He hit a crash and saw a straight red card with half an hour left in the game.
One name is missing from the list: Marcos Rojo. The 34-year-old defender arrived at Boca from Manchester United in 2020, played 103 games, scored 8 goals and celebrated three titles, suffering in the middle of tearing the ligaments in his right knee, an injury from which he recovered in the middle of this year. But the former Argentine National Team defender stood out for his rough play, despite the fact that he “barely” received four red cards.
The most remembered was last year, against the Palm trees in San Pablo, in the semifinal of the Copa Libertadores. The local team needed a goal to tie the series and Rojo showed his usual vehemence leaving the team with 10. He suffered the Brazilian goal and the miraculous saves of Chiquito Romero from the showers, where he celebrated with relief the victory on penalties. He escaped being marked but missed the final against Fluminense, at the Maracaná, where Boca missed his hierarchy.
If you count the two from Advíncula, those from Delgado, Lema, Saracchi, Fabra and Rojo, there are seven expulsions in the last thirteen direct elimination matches. Too much advantage for a team that cannot give it.