Boca returned to its gray normality. Some positive signs had emerged after the draw against River in the Superclásico and last Sunday’s victory with Belgrano. But the 1-0 defeat against Unión put everything back. Diego Martínez’s team played poorly and lost well and still cannot enter the first four in Zone B that will go to the quarterfinals of the League Cup. With five dates left in the group stage, it will be very difficult for him to achieve this as long as he repeats performances like the one he had this Wednesday in Santa Fe.
For Unión, on the other hand, life laughs and sings. He won for the third time in a row and has already reached that fourth position that is proving so elusive for Boca. The Santa Fe players played an intense first half in which they were better on the field, they pressed well from the top, they won all the duels and they came more. The second was more tangled and the dominance was diluted. When it seemed that at the end the shared zero was drawn, at 88 minutes, Gamba took a corner from the right, Corvalán jumped between Benedetto and Valentini and with a header he put the ball away from the reach of goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
Boca was bad with the ball all night. He passed it without knowing exactly why and it was difficult for him to make even the simplest passes. The Uruguayans Cavani and Merentiel were soon deactivated (both left). Blondel and Blanco did not influence the sides. And the changes that Martínez made (Langoni, Janson, Advíncula, Benedetto and Taborda came in) had no effect. Only in the 35th minute of the complement did he have his only dangerous situation: a left-footed shot by Kevin Zenón from outside the area that goalkeeper Campisi handled when it sneaked in at an angle. Cristian Lema went to play as a center forward for the last ten minutes. But all he did was crash.
With thirteen points won out of twenty-seven at stake, Diego Martínez’s cycle has not yet taken off. The coach’s idea does not seem to be embodied in the players. And progress is rather short-lived. Against Unión (15), Boca moved back all the boxes it had advanced on the two previous dates. On Sunday, Racing (14) will go to La Bombonera. The only thing left is hope. But there is less and less time for the team to get going.
2024-03-07 08:14:29
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