Boca won well but by the minimum difference and now he must define his continuity in the South American Cup in Brazil. The Uruguayan Edinson Cavaniof course, scored the only goal of the night and also had the second, which would have been fundamental, but the post denied him. The team of Diego Martinez extended their streak to 18 consecutive games without losing at the Bombonera and 22 in international competitions. Cruise He was very poor but he played very confident in what he can do next Thursday at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte.
The shot on goal Lautaro Blanco which was stopped by a Brazilian defender and easily caught by the goalkeeper Cassioa veteran of a thousand cup battles, was the only effective shot on goal in the first 45 minutes. It was at Boca’s best moment, in the final stretch, from the 40th minute. It was after two incursions into the area in which first Cavani was unable to do so and then a defender intercepted a worrying cross from Merentiel, after a good series of touches between Blanco and Zenón. Before that, nothing about the home team and even less about the visitor.
The big question before the match was how the improvised central duo formed by Gary Medel and Cristian Lema would respond. And they gave their response on the pitch. Cruzeiro’s tepid attacks ended before entering the area. There were some doubts at the start, because Diego Martínez’s team tried to play out against strong high pressure from the Brazilians. There was some anxiety, but not much more. Afterwards, everything was under control, especially Lema who played with a different profile and responded.
The problem for Boca was that they couldn’t link the exit from the back with the middle and so they started to divide many balls and generally lost. Equi Fernández’s absence is noticeablewhich gave another dynamic to a team that now does not transmit much fervor from the inside out.
Until the 40th minute, the home team was able to break the deadlock in the middle and create some danger at Cassio’s goal. Until that final image, when the team’s performance excited a crowd that didn’t stop cheering for a second.
The feeling, until then, was that Cruzeiro was not very interested in stepping on the accelerator to make a big splash at the Bombonera. That the 0-0 was a great deal to close the series at the Mineirao next Thursday. But they were exposed to that good final reaction from Boca.
Boca improved with the entry of Agustín Martegani for Jabes Saralegui. The former San Lorenzo He was positioned on the left while Zenón passed to the right. The first ball that Martegani touched was a through ball to Merentiel in a clear more incisive bet. From the combinations on the left between Martegani and Blanco, two crosses came to Cavani, the first was sent right by Joao Marcelo to the corner and the second the Uruguayan saw the ball pass in front of him.
In this improvement also came the necessary combinations to reach the goal, but on the right: Martegani combined with Medina and he gave it to Zenón, who quickly touched it for Cavani and the Uruguayan, which continues its streak and has scored 17 goals in the last 21 gamesdefined with a soft touch and just before Cassio’s exit.
Photo: Fernando de la Orden.The goal gave the team the confidence they needed to get a more comfortable result, which was much needed for the return match. They had more possession and managed to create a couple of good situations. They also had the chance to steal the ball in the middle and get out quickly. Thus, the play that was not a fluke came about. Advíncula escaped on the right, he crossed over, Cavani hit it first time, the ball hit the post, Martegani took the ball and touched it back to Zenón and Cassio sent the strong shot to the corner with remarkable reflexes.
Going to Brazil 2-0 was a different story. But 1-0 is still a good sign because now they have two results to reach the quarter-finals. And Boca knows about feats or qualifications on Brazilian soil.
