Boca Juniors beat O’Higgins 1-0, Chile to decide Sudamericana berth | OneFootball

They defeated O’Higgins 1-0 at La Bombonera in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana playoffs. Xeneize broke the deadlock at the end of the first half and had chances to extend the lead after the break, but failed to finish them off and will decide the series next week in Chile.

The Chilean side caused plenty of concern for goalkeeper Álvaro Montero, who made a crucial save from a straight-on shot by Martín Sarrafiore. The confidence shown by the new signing from Vélez brought greater calm to Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s squad and, after the cooling break, the home side showed its best version with an inspired Leandro Paredes, who set up Miguel Merentiel for the only goal of the match in the 43rd minute.

The visitors showed a significant physical drop-off in the second half and the hosts overwhelmed them, but could not put the game away. The substitutions made by Lucas Bovaglio revived his team, which pushed for an equalizer late on without success.

Boca Juniors will play again this Sunday from 7:30 p.m. away to Deportivo Riestra on the opening matchday of the Clausura Tournament, with Hernán Mastrángelo as referee, and next Thursday from 9:30 p.m. will face O’Higgins again in the return leg at El Teniente Stadium in Rancagua. The winner of the series will face Recoleta of Paraguay.

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