The Argentine Boca Juniors qualified for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores 2023 by beating the Uruguayan Nacional 4-2 on penalties after drawing 2-2 in 90 minutes, in the matchup of the round of 16 played this Wednesday at La Bombonera.
Uruguayan Miguel Merentiel (11) and Peruvian Luis Advíncula (47) scored the goals for Boca, while Alfonso Trezza (16) and Juan Ramírez (75) scored for Nacional, making the series 2-2 on aggregate. , after the 0-0 draw in the first game in Montevideo.
Sergio Romero, the Boca goalkeeper, stood out on penalties by stopping the shots of Juan Ramírez and Daniel Bocanegra.
Xeneize will meet in the quarterfinals with the winner of the series between Argentine Racing and Atlético Nacional, who won the first match in Medellín 4-2.
Low-key debut of the Matador
With the debut of the star Édinson Cavani as a great attraction, Boca began the match with a somewhat slow pace, although the Uruguayan striker soon raised the public after a combination with the youthful Valentín Barco, but his right hand went wide.
In any case, Cavani did not have a propitious night in his debut, came into play a few times, and missed a couple of very propitious chances to score, including one centimeters from the Bolso arc, which could have sentenced the series.
The emotions that were absent last week in Uruguay came quickly to La Boca, as the locals took the lead when they changed pace and accelerated, and the Peruvian Advíncula sent a perfect cross into the heart of the area, where “La Bestia” Merentiel shot the defenseless Ichazo with a dry header.
Bolso recovered well, who immediately searched for the local area, warned with a high right foot from Yonatan Rodríguez, and soon, in an action similar to that of Boca’s goal, Báez overflowed from the left and sent a cross that Trezza headed powerfully to beat Romero.
The equality also changed the development, because Nacional abandoned the caution of the first minutes and was close to turning the result around with a frontal free kick that Damiani did not manage to push, and then had a fast counter, but Diego Zabala rushed to define and shot wide when he was alone against “Chiquito” Romero.
At the end of the first half, Boca hinted at a reaction, pushed by the youthful Barco, who woke up the team with a left-footed shot barely high, and in stoppage time, Varela missed the shot when he was unmarked at the height of the penalty.
Squeeze National and penalties
Determined, Boca entered more ambitious in the second part and soon went to the front again, when Fabra sent from the left, a defender cleared short, and Advíncula defined with a left foot placed to the right corner that passed between several legs.
Shortly after, Boca had the third at the feet of Cavani, who had the ball tame inside the six-yard box, but missed the left-footed touch, which went wide, and then it was Medina who hit the crossbar with a right foot, and Barco tried to Hit with a powerful left foot.
However, when he was at his best, Boca received an icy bucket shot from Nacional, who reached equality in his only arrival of the second half, when Chiquito Romero cleared a cross from Lozano short, and Ramírez touched the net.
Boca went over to his rival in the last minutes, he filled the area with crosses, and there Benedetto – Cavani’s replacement, who played 70 minutes – had his chance, with a high header, and then Ichazo saved a corner shot but Weigandt’s weak.
The Uruguayan team resisted and the penalties arrived, where the aura of La Bombonera was felt, Chiquito Romero appeared with all his experience to expand under the three sticks of Xeneize, and the little boy Barco, 19, sentenced the night for Boca with a shot worthy of a veteran, soft and on the right side.