Riquelme went to Boca's dressing room after exit, long squad talk | OneFootball

The Xeneize president had a lengthy talk with the players after the defeat to Universidad Católica that knocked the team out of the Copa Libertadores. The atmosphere was very different from that of other recent meetings.

Boca Juniors’ elimination from the Copa Libertadores had a major impact behind closed doors at La Bombonera. As soon as the loss to Universidad Católica was confirmed—a result that condemned the team to play in the Copa Sudamericana in the second half of the year—Juan Román Riquelme went down to the locker room and held a lengthy talk with the squad.

The Xeneize president had already been involved in a similar situation weeks earlier, after the controversial draw against Cruzeiro, although that time the context had been completely different. On that occasion, the message had been one of support and recognition for the team’s performance, amid anger over the refereeing decisions.

Now, after a very poor night on the football side and an elimination that hit the club hard, the conversation took on a different tone. According to reports, Riquelme remained with the players for about 20 minutes after a match in which Boca never really managed to impose itself on the Chilean side and could not even score in a decisive game.

The anger of the club’s top executive had already been noticeable even before the final whistle. When the fourth official announced seven minutes of stoppage time, Riquelme left his box at La Bombonera visibly upset by what the team was showing on the field.

The internal frustration was not only about the result, but also about the footballing image the Xeneize side left in a must-win match. Boca needed a win to secure qualification for the round of 16 and ended up showing enormous difficulty creating clear scoring chances, amid an atmosphere charged with nervousness.

In addition, the meeting had strong symbolic value, as it marked the end of the semester for the squad. After the match, the players were released for the break due to the 2026 World Cup, following a first half of the year heavily affected by the elimination in the Apertura Tournament and now also by the setback in the Libertadores.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, the club will have to reorganize quickly. Claudio Úbeda will not continue as coach once his contract ends, and the board is already working on the search for a new manager to face the Copa Sudamericana, the team’s main international objective for the rest of the season.

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