Fernando Romero Nuñez 
Boca Juniors tied 0-0 with Palmeiras in their Copa Libertadores semifinals opener played at La Bombonera and will have its work cut out in the second leg at São Paulo next Thursday.
Despite being the better team for long stretches of the match and with its stadium filled to the brim, the Xeneizes failed to take its dominance on the pitch into the scoring board.
Boca’s best football came in the first half. With youngster Valentín Barco pulling the strings, the Xeneizes controlled the ball, and got some close chances.
#LIBERTADORESxFoxSports | Clarísima jugada de gol para Cavani que cabeceó, pero la pelota se fue cerca del palo.
— Fox Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) September 29, 2023
Viví el partido de la Copa Libertadores en la pantalla de Fox Sports con los relatos de @hernandelorenzi y @MiguelOsovi pic.twitter.com/riVJv2eN0x
The Verdão, as the Palmeiras is affectionately known, played a smart match, dropping deep to invite Boca to attack and then attempting quick counterattacks. When the Xeneize put them in trouble, goalkeeper Weverton proved solid and made necessary if unspectacular saves to keep the clean sheet.
As the game progressed into the second half, however, Boca’s attacking flair started to disappear. The Xeneize’s best chance to score came at the 58 minute mark, when a cross from deep by right back Luis Advíncula went past every defender, allowing left back Frank Fabra to get a point blank header Weveteron managed to save.
Fabra then pushed a defender to win the ball back and set up striker Miguel Merentiel to score the game’s first goal, but the referee called him for an offensive foul. After that, Palmeiras looked happy to drop even deeper and settle for a draw.
#LIBERTADORESxFoxSports | Gol anulado a Boca por infracción en el área.
— Fox Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) September 29, 2023
Viví el partido de la Copa Libertadores en la pantalla de Fox Sports con los relatos de @hernandelorenzi y @MiguelOsovi pic.twitter.com/eCKdFTSK1M
The Jorge Almirón-coached team has now failed to win its last three home games. Its last win came in August, when it beat Platense 3-1 in its Copa de la Liga opener.
“It was a very intense and hardfought 90 minutes,” said Boca star striker Uruguayan Edinson Cavani. “We played a good game, and we have to do the same in the away leg. The ball refused to go in. These things happen, but I don’t feel like I had a clear chance, even if it looked different from the outside.”
Boca will now go up against River Plate this Sunday in a new Superclásico. The game, part of the Copa de la Liga “derby weekend” on week seven, will be played at La Bombonera at 2 p.m. Buenos Aires time. The second leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinal will be played at Palmeiras’ Allianz Park stadium in São Paulo on October 6, at 9:30 p.m.
