Football punishes: São Paulo lose to Boca in quarter-final first leg

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AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR

·9 September 2026

Football punishes: São Paulo lose to Boca in quarter-final first leg

São Paulo was defeated 1-0 by Boca Juniors on Tuesday night (8) at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals.

In a balanced match marked by the traditional pressure coming from the stands, Dorival Júnior’s team wasted two incredible chances to go ahead in the first half, but ended up being caught off guard early in the second by Uruguayan forward Miguel Merentiel.

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With the result, Tricolor will need to win by two goals in the return leg to advance directly to the semifinals, while a São Paulo win by one goal would send the tie to penalties. A draw sends the Argentinians through.

First Half: A Flurry of Chances and Balance

São Paulo began the match well organized tactically in a three-center-back setup (Domingos Duarte, Arboleda and Sabino), looking to contain the hosts’ early momentum and break quickly on the counterattack:

Unbelievable chances for Luciano and Calleri: In the 16th minute, Tricolor threatened the Argentinians after Iago crossed from the left and Luciano, unmarked in the box, headed it straight into a comfortable save by goalkeeper Álvaro Montero. Shortly after, in the 30th minute, another link-up between Iago and Luciano ended with a pass to the penalty spot for Calleri, who fired wide.
Argentine response: Boca Juniors tried to threaten with mid-range shots from Leandro Paredes and runs down the left by full-back Lautaro Blanco, but without forcing goalkeeper Rafael into any more difficult saves before halftime.

Second Half: Boca Goal and São Paulo Reaction

Just as in the first half, the match resumed as a hard-fought battle in midfield, but the Argentine side was more efficient with the first clear chance it created:

06’/2nd Half | Merentiel goal (1-0): Lautaro Blanco made an individual run down the left, reached the byline and sent in a low cross. Forward Miguel Merentiel controlled it inside the box, got past his marker and, after Rafael partially saved his close-range shot, pounced on the rebound to put the ball into the net.
Attempts to respond: Trailing on the scoreboard, Dorival Júnior made changes in attack, sending on Gustavo Santana in place of Luciano. In the 16th minute, from a lofted free kick taken by Artur, the ball fell to Domingos Duarte, who slid in to shoot and forced an important save from Montero.
Late pressure: In the 21st minute, Marcos Antônio crossed from the edge of the box and Calleri appeared alone to head it, only to be denied once again by the Boca goalkeeper. São Paulo kept possession in the closing minutes, but the score remained in favor of the Argentinians until the final whistle.
The referee’s blunder: In the 29th minute, there was a bizarre refereeing moment when Domingos Duarte was shown a red card after a challenge with Paredes. VAR intervened and the punishment was overturned.

Everything Still to Play for at Morumbi

The decisive return leg will be played next Tuesday (15) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Morumbi. Before fighting for a place in the continental semifinals, however, Tricolor will turn its attention back to the Brazilian Championship, where, riding a run of two straight wins, it will face Palmeiras next Saturday (12) at Parque Antártica.

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