- The 'Xeneize' claimed a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Santiago Ascacibar, Milton Delgado and Leonel Flores in the first leg of the Round of 16
- Recoleta, who had taken the lead through Pedro Ríos, finished the match with nine men and will need to overturn the deficit in Paraguay
Boca took the first step towards the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Quarter-finals as the 'Xeneize' secured a 3-1 victory at the Tomás Adolfo Ducó, where they played as the home side, thanks to goals from Santiago Ascacibar, Milton Delgado and Leonel Flores.
It was far from straightforward for 'Vasco' Arruabarrena's side, who were caught off guard in the first half by a fearless Recoleta team that took an early lead through Pedro Ríos and even created opportunities to extend their advantage before the break. However, Wilfrido Báez's dismissal late in the first half proved decisive in allowing the Argentine giants to turn the match around.
Recoleta quickly showed in Buenos Aires the qualities that had made the rising Paraguayan side one of the revelations of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. The 'Canarios' returned to the city where they had produced one of the greatest feats in their history, having beaten San Lorenzo at the Nuevo Gasómetro on 26 May. The Argentine giants, winners of both the CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana, were defeated in a result that ultimately helped Recoleta finish top of Group D ahead of Neymar's Santos, the 'Ciclón' and Deportivo Cuenca, securing direct qualification for the Round of 16.
Jorge González's side made their intentions clear from the opening minute, pressing aggressively against Boca's build-up play. The approach proved effective, forcing Leandro Paredes and Milton Delgado into mistakes in possession. Paul Charpentier, brought in to help offset the departure of Allan Wlk following his transfer to Lanús, made a lively start and caused problems for the home defence. One of his surging runs led to the Paraguayan opener: Pedro Ríos' shot took a deflection off full-back Leandro Lozano, leaving Colombian goalkeeper Álvaro Montero unable to prevent the ball from finding the net five minutes into the first half.
Boca took control after falling behind early, but struggled to break down a well-organised Recoleta defence that continued to pose a threat going forward. Ready to exploit any opportunity on the counter-attack, the Paraguayan side won the ball back in midfield following a pass from Leandro Paredes, and Aldo González had the chance to double the lead in the 29th minute, only for Montero to respond well and prevent the score from becoming 2-0. The Colombian goalkeeper was called into action again in the 41st minute, staying alert to deny another dangerous Recoleta attack.
Despite trailing, Boca had begun to create clear goalscoring opportunities, but lacked the finishing touch needed to find the equaliser. With youngster Tomás Aranda pulling the strings and fellow academy product Leonel Flores providing a constant threat, Arruabarrena’s side gradually began to build momentum and earn their way back into the contest. Recoleta also enjoyed more than one fortunate escape, most notably in the 40th minute, when Miguel Merentiel headed against the post before Milton Delgado struck a right-footed effort that hit the crossbar, bounced on the goal line and then struck the bar again.
Frustration was beginning to build as the first half drew to a close, but there was still time for another turning point. In the first minute of added time, Wilfredo Báez caught Flores with an elbow and was shown a red card following a VAR review. With his side reduced to ten men, Jorge González made changes at the break, introducing Orlín Barreto and José Espíndola in place of Juan Franco and striker Paul Charpentier in an attempt to protect the lead. Arruabarrena responded as well, replacing full-back Lautaro Blanco with Colombian winger Sebastián Villa, whose introduction would have a major impact on the match.
The Colombian was instrumental in the quick-fire spell that allowed Boca to turn the match around. Four minutes into the second half, he appeared on the left and, after an excellent pass from Aranda, delivered a first-time cross that Ascacibar converted with a right-footed finish to level the score. The midfielder found the net for a fourth consecutive match, once again underlining his influence in the opposition penalty area. Two minutes later, Villa delivered from the right and Milton Delgado rose highest inside the box to head Boca into a 2-1 lead.
Boca were relentless throughout the second half, using their numerical advantage to push for an even greater cushion ahead of the return leg in Paraguay. The third goal arrived in the 62nd minute, when Flores, following another fine contribution from Miguel Merentiel — who produced an excellent performance that only lacked a goal — scored a superb strike, curling his effort into the top-right corner beyond Nelson Ferreira.
Boca’s dominance only increased as the minutes passed, and Recoleta’s task became even more difficult following the dismissal of Dairon Mosquera. Down to nine men, González set his side up in an increasingly defensive shape in an attempt to withstand the pressure. The 'Xeneize' pushed in every possible way to extend their advantage, but were unable to add to the two-goal margin they will now look to protect when they travel to Asunción next week.
The match in numbers
- Boca ended a run of six CONMEBOL competition matches without a win after conceding the opening goal (6L). The 'Xeneize's' previous victory after falling behind came against Trinidense in the 2024 CONMEBOL Sudamericana (2-1).
- Sebastián Villa (Boca) has now recorded three goal involvements after coming off the bench in CONMEBOL competitions in 2026, providing two assists against Recoleta today after previously scoring for Independiente Rivadavia against Bolívar in the CONMEBOL Libertadores. He is the substitute with the most goal involvements in these competitions over that period (3, level with Jersson González, 2G+1A).
- Santiago Ascacíbar scored his fourth goal for Boca under Rodolfo Arruabarrena, with three coming in the Liga Profesional and one in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. After seven appearances under 'Vasco', Arruabarrena is already the coach under whom he has scored the second-most goals in these competitions, behind only Eduardo Domínguez (16 goals in 130 matches).
- Since 2013, Sebastián Villa is the first Boca player to provide two or more assists after coming off the bench in a CONMEBOL competition match.
- At 19 years and 186 days old, Leonel Flores is Boca's youngest player to score in a CONMEBOL competition knockout stage since Neri Cardozo against Cerro Porteño in the Round of 16 of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, aged 19 years and 52 days.
