Boca reach Sudamericana last 16 on penalties after 1-0 defeat in Rancagua | OneFootball

Boca Juniors lost 1-0 to O’Higgins in the play-off second leg at El Teniente in Rancagua, then squeezed through 4-3 on penalties to reach the Copa Sudamericana last 16.

According to LaNumer12.com.ar, Boca again offered little, lacked assurance and scraped through while flirting with another embarrassment.

Boca began well and controlled long spells of the first half, yet O’Higgins created the clearer chances. A poor central clearance by Nicolás Figal preceded Pancho González’s left-footed strike, and with the tie level on aggregate after 90 minutes it went to a shootout.

Leandro Paredes converted the first kick, with Miguel Merentiel and Figal also scoring. Tomás Aranda’s Panenka attempt was read, but Lautaro Blanco buried the decisive effort and Álvaro Montero saved one to clinch it 4-3.

Blanco was Boca’s most secure defender and combined well with Aranda on the left. Sebastián Villa was ineffective on either flank before Leonel Flores came on to torment the back line and rattle the crossbar, while Montero mixed uncertainty with a vital stop late on and in the shootout.

Rodolfo Arruabarrena abandoned 4-3-3 for 4-3-1-2, using Aranda as the link and Villa as a second striker to the right, then shunting him left after the break. He made only one change in 90 minutes, inviting questions over faith in the bench.

Source: LaNumer12.com.ar