“I wasn’t tired… that’s rubbish”: Zeballos’ agent hits back at Úbeda | OneFootball

Boca couldn’t get past Racing at La Bombonera and was eliminated from the Torneo Clausura. Gustavo Costas’s team won 1-0 with a goal from Maravilla Martínez and punched their ticket to the grand final of the local tournament, which will be played next Saturday in Santiago del Estero. Their opponent will be determined this Monday and will come from the winner of the match between Estudiantes and Gimnasia.

One of the most controversial moments of the night was when Claudio Úbeda decided to substitute Exequiel Zeballos at the 25th minute of the second half. Changuito is Boca’s most dynamic player, and his absence was felt. Alan Velasco came on in his place but didn’t make an impact during the 20 minutes he was on the field.

Úbeda explained why he took Zeballos off

In a press conference, Claudio Úbeda stated: “What we were seeing from his gestures was that Exequiel was tired, and that’s why we made the decision to take him off. If we look back, in the previous three games he also came off in the final minutes. He put in a huge physical effort during the time he was on the pitch, and that’s why we made that decision.”

“With Alan coming on, I was looking for a similar profile, being right-footed and playing on the left side with his opposite foot. To give some fresh legs to Exequiel’s replacement, who was a bit tired, and to help us gain more control in midfield, which was what we wanted because the match was too back-and-forth with Racing’s style,” Úbeda added.

Zeballos’s camp denied Úbeda’s claims

After Claudio Úbeda’s explanation, Rorro Carballo—who works at Zeballos’s representation agency—shared a strong statement on his social media, denying Sifón’s words. Carballo posted a blunt message: “He wasn’t tired… all nonsense”. It’s worth noting that a few hours later, he closed the account from which he made that post.

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