- Vasco da Gama beat Boca Juniors away at La Bombonera in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana semi-final first leg, with the tie set to be decided next week.
- The 'Xeneize' saw their unbeaten record against the Rio de Janeiro side in CONMEBOL competitions come to an end, having previously recorded two wins and two draws.
The side managed by Portuguese coach Pedro Emanuel claimed a 1-0 victory over the Argentine team, who were without their captain, Leandro Paredes, through injury. The second leg will take place next Tuesday, 20 October, at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
From the opening minutes, the visitors made it clear that they had no intention of sacrificing their attacking approach. In the fourth minute, striker Bruno Duarte struck a low shot that forced a crucial save from Boca Juniors goalkeeper Álvaro Montero, who dived to his right to turn the ball away.
The 'Xeneize', who struggled to impose their game in the first half, looked to make an impact in the final third through their main attacking threat, young Leonel Flores. Dynamic, direct and dangerous in one-on-one situations, the academy graduate managed to get the better of Paulo Henrique on several occasions. After cutting inside, he created space for a shot from distance, but his effort lacked accuracy.
The 'Cruzmaltino', who had already pushed further into the opposition half, took the lead in the 24th minute. Colombian winger Andrés Gómez delivered a cross from the left that found Adson, who got in front of Facundo Herrera and glanced a header towards the far post, leaving Montero with no chance. With Santiago Sosa and Alan Lescano providing balance in midfield, Pedro Emanuel's side were the better team throughout the first half.
In their only notable attacking move after the break, the Rio de Janeiro side nearly doubled their lead in the eighth minute of the second half. Paulo Henrique and Duarte combined well down the right, sending the full-back through one-on-one with Montero. His finish narrowly missed the post.
From that point onwards, following Gómez's dismissal for Vasco da Gama, Boca changed their approach and took control of possession. The introductions of Sebastián Villa and Miguel Merentiel gave Arruabarrena's side greater attacking depth, and they put together a series of dangerous moves without finding the finish. The woodwork came to Léo Jardim's rescue twice: first, when a Lautaro Blanco cross curled towards goal and struck the far post, and later when Santiago Ascacibar's shot crashed against the crossbar.
The Brazilian side's defensive solidity, combined with Léo Jardim's individual quality in goal, enabled the visitors to withstand the pressure with ten men. In the closing stages, Boca had a clear chance to level the score, but Robert Renan came to the rescue, blocking Merentiel's close-range effort inside the six-yard box that could have earned the hosts a draw.
Vasco da Gama ended their poor run against the Argentine side and claimed their first win over the 'Xeneize' in five meetings in CONMEBOL competitions. The second leg will be played next Tuesday and will determine the first finalist of the 'Great Conquest'.
The match in numbers:
- Vasco are the second Brazilian side to beat Boca away from home in a CONMEBOL semi-final or final, following Pelé's Santos in the 1963 Libertadores Final (2-1).
- Vasco ended Boca's run of five consecutive clean sheets at home in the first leg of a CONMEBOL semi-final, a streak that began in 2012.
- Adson (Vasco) has been directly involved in nine goals in 36 appearances in the 2026 season across all competitions. Eight of those contributions came in his ten CONMEBOL Sudamericana appearances: five goals and three assists.
- Six of Vasco's last eight goals in the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana have come from crosses.
- At 19 years and 249 days old, Leonel Flores is the youngest Boca player to start a match from the semi-final stage onwards in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana since Fernando Gago in 2005, when he featured in the Final against Pumas at 19 years and 240 days old.
- Vasco da Gama took the lead after 24 minutes and 22 seconds, scoring their first goal before the 25th minute in a decisive CONMEBOL Sudamericana match in the past six years.
- After Boca went a man up in the 64th minute, they had more shots (8-0), possession (83%-17%) and corners (4-0), but managed just one shot on target.
- Since at least 2013, Vasco da Gama are only the second side to beat Boca at La Bombonera in a CONMEBOL competition despite having at least one player sent off. Nacional were the first, achieving the feat in the 2013 CONMEBOL Libertadores.
