Plenty of chances, few goals: Boca's big issue in the last two games | OneFootball

If there is one thing Boca cannot be blamed for over the last two matches, it is creating scoring chances. Both in the Torneo Apertura elimination against Huracán and in the 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro in the Copa Libertadores, the Xeneize created a huge number of opportunities that, either because of the goalkeepers’ performances —standouts in both matches— or poor finishing, did not end up in the back of the net and proved costly for the team. This is an aspect Claudio Úbeda and his coaching staff must correct ahead of next Thursday’s clash with Universidad Católica, as the La Ribera side is obliged to take all three points to seal qualification for the round of 16.

A shared mistake between Leandro Brey and Milton Delgado left Boca behind against Huracán just six minutes into the match. Beyond the blow caused by Leonardo Gil’s goal, the Xeneize recovered quickly and began threatening the goal defended by Hernán Galíndez.

With five great saves, the Argentine-born Ecuador international goalkeeper kept a clean sheet through the first 45 minutes. In the second half, when desperation began to take over, Boca kept getting dangerously into the opposition box and, after Tomás Aranda hit the post and more clear-cut chances, Milton Giménez found the equalizer seconds before the 90th minute. The center forward was hit in the back by a clearance from Galíndez, and Boca managed, by chance, to do what it had not been able to earlier.

In the first half of extra time, Huracán landed the knockout blows that ended up eliminating the Xeneize: Lautaro Di Lollo conceded two penalties that Oscar Romero converted, and the visitors went 3-1 up. Even with two extra men, the Xeneize kept creating chances but could only pull one back through Ángel Romero. In total, that night they created 17 clear scoring opportunities.

Against Cruzeiro, the flow of the match was different, but the outcome was similar. Boca started by overwhelming its rival and in the first 20 minutes created five concrete scoring chances, turned Otavio into the standout player, and Miguel Merentiel managed to find the net in the 15th minute.

Toward the end of the first half and the start of the second, the team’s attacking output dropped, the visitors began to settle into the match, and they equalized through a rocket from Fagner. Úbeda’s side struggled to recover from the blow, but when they did —already with an extra man due to Gerson’s sending-off— they once again created several chances to win it.

Boca ended the match against the Brazilian side having created 12 chances and with the bitter taste of having drawn a game it deserved to win, while also complicating its chances of qualifying for the round of 16.

Although Merentiel and Giménez are the main players singled out in this regard, since they had a good share of the chances, the list is quite broad. The center backs, Leandro Paredes, Santiago Ascacíbar against Huracán and Tomás Belmonte against Cruzeiro, as well as Tomás Aranda and Exequiel Zeballos, also wasted their chances. The truth is that Boca threatened the opposition box 29 times over the last two matches and managed to score only three goals. To make matters worse, of the six times the opposition got at them, four ended in goals.

This is the main aspect to correct ahead of next Thursday’s clash with Universidad Católica, a match in which the Xeneize is helped by the new Olympic tiebreak criterion and knows that a win will secure qualification for the round of 16, one of the main objectives of the first half of the year.

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