Have Boca Junior’s fortunes finally changed?

The team beat Independiente Rivadavia 3-0 on Sunday, ending a 120-day streak with no wins, which broke a dismal record as the longest such spell in the club’s history. The streak started in April, after the Xeneize beat Estudiantes, and became their longest stretch without a victory by July.

Boca had plenty of support in the stands as it visited Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza, with over 15,000 Xeneize fans in the Malvinas Argentinas stadium away sector and some 25,000 home fans.

The match proved a fractious affair from the start, with precious few clear chances to score. It was only in the 30th minute that Boca scored the opener: from a scrappy play after a corner, Qatar 2022 winner Leandro Paredes attempted to put in a cross, which was deflected by Independiente goalkeeper Ezequiel Centurión and went into the back of the net.

Independiente Rivadavia improved after the goal, and came out in the second half looking for a tying goal, while Boca looked to stay in their own half and wait for counterattacking opportunities, making for a game that see-sawed across the pitch.

The Xeneize’s tactic paid off near the end of the game. In the 87th minute, midfielder Williams Alarcón found forward Exequiel Zeballos with a terrific long pass. Zeballos was left one-on-one with the goalkeeper and scored confidently. Just two minutes later, a similar counter created a chance for forward Alan Velasco, who made it 3-0.

“We were smart and it gives the players a boost,” said Boca head coach Miguel Ángel Russo. Nine games into his tenure with the Xeneize, he had yet to win his first game. “There’s a great climate in the dressing room. We’re happy because they needed something like this.”

His words were echoed by Paredes, who has become a key cog in the team since his return to Boca Juniors.

“We have to keep working, we can’t relax now,” he said. “I don’t care if it was given as an own goal or not, the important thing is the result. It’s good for us as a group and for the fans as well.”

Boca’s struggles have come from a mix of bad luck with injuries and underperforming new signings. Veterans such as Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani and Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera have often struggled to remain fit and available for selection. Other new signings, like Velasco, Alarcón and goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín, haven’t always performed at the expected level.

The win didn’t just snap Boca’s negative record. It also put the Xeneize back into the 2026 Copa Libertadores qualification spots in the Yearly Table.The Xeneize will now face off against Banfield at the La Bombonera stadium on Sunday August 24, at 6:15 p.m.