Boca end 2025 trophyless: a look back at all the key defeats of the season | OneFootball

The La Ribera team fell by the minimum against Racing at La Bombonera and was eliminated from the Torneo Clausura. The end of the Xeneize campaign in the local tournament brought the curtain down on an adverse season for the Buenos Aires team. Details.

Boca completed its performance in the Torneo Clausura of the Professional League by falling this Sunday to Racing at home. The fall of the ‘Xeneize’ at La Bombonera also marked the farewell for Claudio Úbeda's team from an adverse 2025 in terms of results.

The blue and yellow team finished as the leader of Zone A, overcoming obstacles in the local tournament. However, after leaving Talleres and Argentinos Juniors behind, Gustavo Costas' team won the battle and eliminated them in the semifinals of the championship.

The elimination closes a year far from the club's expectations, which despite securing its qualification for the 2026 Copa Libertadores thanks to its performance in the annual table did not manage to obtain an official title and suffered more than one setback.

The first significant setback for the ‘Xeneize’ occurred in the early weeks of the year, but somehow outlined the club's path for the rest of the season. On February 18, the team then led by Fernando Gago fell 1-0 to Alianza Lima in Peru and had to seek a comeback at La Bombonera.

The tie corresponding to the first preliminary phase of the Copa Libertadores was in the hands of ‘Pipo’ Gorosito's team, since after the local 2-1 victory with goals by Miguel Trauco (own goal) and Kevin Zenón, the Peruvian team won 5-4 in the penalty shootout. The disappointment of not being able to advance in their greatest obsession, after not participating in 2024, was a hard blow.

The elimination sowed instability for Fernando Gago's process, which would end on April 27 after the fall in the Superclásico against River at the Estadio Monumental. The ‘Pintita’ team was defeated 2-1 in Núñez by Marcelo Gallardo's side, with goals from Franco Mastantuono and Sebastián Driussi and a discount by Miguel Merentiel.

This scenario led to the interim return of Mariano Herrón to the technical direction of the first team, to face the end of the Torneo Apertura. Boca managed to advance to the playoffs, and in the first round, they had to play against Lanús. They won on penalties (in a Bombonera that murmured and whistled at the players at times), and in the quarterfinals, they faced Independiente.

On May 19, Julio Vaccari's team visited Brandsen 805 and dealt the ‘Xeneize’ another disappointment at their stadium in 2025. Álvaro Angulo's goal in the 64th minute decreed the victory and qualification of the ‘Rojo’ to the semifinals, leaving another sporting earthquake for a local team that received disapproval from its fans for both its squad and management.

Following the defeat to the Avellaneda team, there was a break and Herrón's departure for Miguel Ángel Russo to begin his second stage in La Boca. ‘Miguelo’ had the responsibility of taking the reins of a battered squad to compete in nothing less than the unprecedented format of the Club World Cup in the United States, where Boca would have another poor performance.

Although they drew with Benfica, the defeat to Bayern Munich meant that their passage to the round of 16 depended on a large victory over Auckland City and an extra result in the European clash. The outcome couldn't have been worse: against all odds, the New Zealanders drew 1-1 in Nashville, after Nathan Garrow opened the scoring with an own goal in the 26th minute and Christian Gray equalized in the 52nd minute.

Neither the weather conditions that stopped the match nor the subsequent resumption could change the story, and Boca bid farewell to the World Cup in the group stage on June 24. After another break in the calendar, only two objectives remained on the horizon: the Copa Argentina and the Torneo Clausura.

On July 23, one of those tournaments ended for the Buenos Aires team. Atlético Tucumán won 2-1 in Santiago del Estero with goals from Clever Ferreira and Mateo Bajamich, and Edinson Cavani's discount in the 97th minute came too late to avoid the catastrophe.

From there, only the Clausura remained. Boca's campaign, despite the enormous off-field blow of Miguel Ángel Russo's death, managed to recover to not only top group A but also secure the aforementioned (and coveted) qualification for the 2026 Libertadores, this time with direct access to the group stage.

However, the last official coronation in the Argentine Super Cup in February 2023 against Patronato resonates over time at Brandsen 805, and with the drought lingering, the need for a title was total. That dream ended this Sunday, after Adrián ‘Maravilla’ Martínez's goal gave Racing the victory at La Bombonera.

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