Argentine football giant Boca Juniors is out of the 2025 Copa Libertadores after losing 5-4 on penalties to Peru’s Alianza Lima on Tuesday. The Xeneize will also miss out on the chance to compete in the 2025 Copa Sudamericana.

Fernando Gago’s team couldn’t afford any complacency coming into the match, after losing the first leg of the series 1-0 away at Lima. The second game, at Boca’s iconic La Bombonera stadium, was set to be a high tension affair, after Alianza Lima coach and former River Plate player Néstor “Pipo” Gorosito said the venue’s famous roar was “a myth, all talk and no walk.”

Boca took the lead just five minutes in, thanks to an own goal by Alianza defender Miguel Trauco who erred on a cross by Boca’s Marcelo Saracchi, sending the ball straight to the net. But when it looked like Gago’s team had the game in the bag, a careless foul by Boca’s Kevin Zenón gave the visitors a chance with a set piece. A header by 40-year-old striker Hernán Barcos made it 1-1, giving the advantage to the Peruvian side once again in the 19th minute.

Xeneize goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín kept the series alive in the 30th minute, when a three versus one Alianza counter attack put him into a one-on-one situation. However, striker Eryc Castillo dwindled on the ball for too long, allowing the goalie to snatch it from his feet.

In the second half, Zenón had his revenge. He caught a rebound off defender Marcos Rojo and headed it in for 2-1 in the 57th minute.

Boca kept pushing and had chances to win it. None was clearer than a 97th minute, point-blank shot by Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, who was left alone in front of the goal by a cross from Williams Alarcón . The 38-year-old, who has scored 458 goals in his career for club and country, mistimed the kick and fumbled the chance to seal the deal.

The result meant the series was 2-2 on aggregate, sending it to a penalty shootout to determine the winner. Boca made a last substitution there to bring in young goalkeeper Leandro Brey, who had shown penalty-stopping prowess in the 2024 Copa Argentina. However, it wasn’t enough for the Xeneize, who was eliminated after forward Alan Velasco missed the last penalty of the series.

“We deserved the win,” said Gago at the press conference. “We had many chances to score. Everyone in the dressing room is sad, hurt, angry. It was a bad result, a very hard blow.”

The Boca coach insisted he feels the backing to continue working at the club. He vowed to keep working in order to compete in the remaining competitions and said that he was happy with the team’s performance

Those in the stands didn’t agree. Chants of Que se vayan todos, que no quede ni uno solo (“Sack them all, out with the lot!”) poured down after the last penalty. Similarly, videos of fans insulting the players and staff as they left the stadium went viral on social media.

This will be the second time Boca will miss back-to-back Copa Libertadores group stages since the tournament expanded to 32-teams, and the first since 2011. At that time, however, the Xeneize missed the competition completely.

The elimination could also bring economic problems. The club was set to earn US$600,000 had it reached the qualification phase third stage, along with a guaranteed Copa Sudamericana spot. Winning that third series would’ve earned them US$1,100,000. The prize for taking part in the Copa Libertadores group stage is a further US$3 million, plus US$330,000 for each game won.