Boca’s player ratings in reaching the Copa Argentina quarters | OneFootball

It was hard-fought, it was painful, but Boca secured qualification to the Copa Argentina quarterfinals. They beat Vélez on penalties in Córdoba after a scoreless draw in regulation time. Álvaro Montero was the standout and the hero of the night, saving two spot-kicks from the Liniers side.

El Xeneize had several chances to win it in regular time, but lacked the finishing touch needed to kill off the match. Everything had to be decided from the spot, where the Colombian once again came up huge, just as he did against O’Higgins, bringing calm and relief to his teammates and all the fans. The player ratings from Boca’s qualification against Vélez.

Álvaro Montero (10)

ONCE AGAIN BOCA’S HERO! He had nothing to do during the first 45 minutes, but when called upon, he delivered. In the final minute of the match, he brought down Simón Escobar inside the box. Eric Godoy gave him a lifeline by smashing the penalty off the post. Montero had dived the other way. In the shootout, he saved two penalties and sent Boca through to the quarterfinals.

Álvaro Montero saved two penalties against Vélez. Photo: CA.

Leandro Lozano (6)

He was smart with his forward runs. He pushed up and used his speed to break through Vélez’s defense. This was the Lozano who stood out at Argentinos Juniors with crosses on the run. Defensively, he had no major scares and did well.

Lautaro Di Lollo (5)

Solid at the back. Neat in possession. He didn’t take risks and always kept it simple. He won several duels on the ground and became the first outlet pass.

Facundo Herrera (6)

He plays like he already has 100 top-flight matches under his belt. Strong at the back. Impossible to get past. Outstanding distribution, including an exquisite outside-of-the-foot pass to break the lines. Just one mistake in 90 minutes: he arrived late and picked up a yellow card. Everyone at Vélez called for it to be reviewed.

Lautaro Blanco (6)

He grew into the game. Whenever he could, he pushed all the way to the byline. He looked to combine with Villa down the left. He also tried cutting inside, received a pass from Paredes in the box, and left Belmonte one-on-one with the keeper. He scored his penalty.

Santiago Ascacibar (8)

All-action. Alert in covering duties. Quick ball recoveries in midfield to launch attacks. Very present in Marchiori’s box. He had the chance to connect on the opener, but it was blocked just in time.

Leandro Paredes (8)

Covered a lot of ground. The Boca captain owned the midfield. He controlled it gusto e piacere. He anticipated well, won the ball back, and cut out several Vélez passes. Plenty of exquisite through balls and switches of play. He looked for Blanco behind the midfield line. He raised concerns when he asked to come off because of discomfort in his left hamstring.

Paredes was substituted near the end. Photo: CA.

Tomás Belmonte (6)

He dropped back and won the ball on the right side. Alongside the Ruso, he also ventured into the opposition box. He had two chances to score Boca’s opener. First, he was off-balance when shooting, and then he sent another effort wide. A very clear chance.

Alan Velasco (6)

The opposite of Blanco. He improved as the match went on. In the first half he looked a bit subdued, but after the break he showed his best version. He beat three Fortín players and had a clear chance to put El Xeneize ahead. It was blocked just in time. He was substituted late on.

Sebastián Villa (5)

He is still struggling to adapt to Arruabarrena’s idea. He gets a decent rating because he never stopped trying during the 75 minutes he was on the pitch. He had a few shots that went over the bar.

Miguel Merentiel (5)

A poor match from La Bestia. He put in a lot of physical effort dropping out of the box to get involved with the ball. At times he needed to be more selfish and think about the opposition goal. He had a chance to shoot at Marchiori’s goal, but instead looked for a pass between the center-backs’ legs.

Enner Valencia (2)

A poor showing from the Ecuadorian. He never managed to settle into the match. He dropped back to defend in the closing moments. He missed his penalty.

Leonel Flores (4)

He came on in the second half and did not have his best performance. He tried a few runs down the left and got them all wrong. A short cross led to Vélez’s counterattack and then the penalty. The post bailed him out.

Kevin Zenón and Carlos Palacios (-)

Not enough minutes to be rated. Both scored their penalties.

Rodolfo Arruabarrena (8)

He dared to field a mixed lineup (with more starters than substitutes) in an important match. It worked out well. Boca initially set up as a counterattacking team, but gradually settled in, took control of the game, and created the clearest chances. The substitutions did not have the desired effect, and he protected Paredes from a possible injury.

Keep reading:

Arruabarrena revealed how Paredes is doing after asking to come off against Vélez

When Boca will play again after reaching the Copa Argentina quarterfinals

Who Boca’s opponent will be in the Copa Argentina quarterfinals

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.