Boca is beginning to recover from its own setbacks. Sometimes they are big, grotesque setbacks, like the defeat against Unión in Santa Fe, and other times they are momentary setbacks, like yesterday against San Lorenzo. Because? Because what seemed like an ordeal at the beginning of the game ended in a party at the end. Diego Martínez’s team turned it around and remained there, in the waiting lot to qualify for the League Cup playoffs.
This opaque San Lorenzo, who had started this cup with murmurs and questions to the coach who had recently received unanimous praise, started the game using the long history that unites – or separates – it with Boca: after five minutes, after a double error of Lema, referee Arasa awarded a penalty. Barely five minutes: Bareiro stood in front of young Brey and poked him. Like Panenka. Like Crazy Abreu. Like so many who, in a difficult situation, challenge the theory of stage fright.
For Boca everything had started badly. Not just because he couldn’t penetrate the visiting defense, not just because he had made unforced errors, not just because he was losing. Also because after a while, Lucas Blondel suffered a serious knee injury (torn ligaments) that took him out of the game.
However, Boca found a way to advance and complicate Ciclón, until in the 42nd minute they achieved what they had so deserved: Equi Fernández, Zenón and Medina got together to play futsal, and Cavani was there to score. Third consecutive game in which he scores goals at home (against Belgrano and Racing). The “Uruguayan, Uruguayan”, which in La Bombonera unfailingly refers to Manteca Martínez, has its reversal in Cavani, now far from that initial mufa.
The strange thing was that Cavani was replaced by Merentiel at halftime. Injury? Reservation for the Sudamericana? We’ll know. The truth is that the second half was rough – with fights between coaches and players – with more injuries (Bareiro asked for a change) and with a match that ended up being decided in the end: once again Zenón designed it, and again a Uruguayan defined it.