Boca Juniors Eliminated from Copa Sudamericana
Boca Juniors and Cruzeiro delivered one of the best matches of the year, with a 2-1 win for the Brazilian team. However, with a 2-2 aggregate score, the match went to penalties, which Boca Juniors lost.
The first half was torturous for Boca, as they lost Advíncula just 15 seconds into the game due to a harsh tackle on Lucas Romero. This forced Boca to radically change their approach.
In the 9th minute, Matheus Henrique scored the first goal for Cruzeiro, while Boca appeared increasingly uncomfortable. The locals took advantage to temporarily take the lead in the 21st minute with a stunning goal by Walace, which seemed to seal a heavy defeat for Boca, who were practically in K.O.
However, Milton Giménez had other plans. In the 47th minute, he scored a crucial goal that leveled the aggregate score 2-2 for Boca Juniors. This goal changed the course of the match, sending it to penalties, as neither team managed to score in the second half, despite being very close.
In the penalty shootout, Cruzeiro went first, and after an almost perfect set of penalties, Merentiel missed the crucial penalty that eliminated Boca Juniors from the Copa Conmebol Sudamericana 2024.