Vasco Beats Boca Juniors at La Bombonera

Vasco Defeats Boca Juniors in Historic Win

Adson scored the decisive goal for Vasco, which also broke a 17-game unbeaten streak for the Argentine side. The victory marks only the second time in history that Vasco has beaten Boca Juniors, and the first-ever official win against them. The previous victory occurred in a 1951 friendly at the Maracanã that ended 3–0. In official matches, it was Vasco’s first win in five total encounters. The other four official meetings took place in 2001, comprising two Copa Libertadores matches won by Boca and two Copa Mercosur draws.

To secure the result, the Rio de Janeiro club had to hold on during the second half with a man down following the expulsion of Andrés Gómez at the 18th minute. With the outcome, Vasco became the eighth Brazilian club to defeat Boca Juniors at La Bombonera in official matches, following historical successes by clubs such as Santos—the pioneer that won the 1963 Libertadores in Buenos Aires—and Fluminense, which had been the sole Rio club to achieve the feat previously, in 2012, alongside Internacional’s victories in the 2008 Sudamericana and 2020 Libertadores.

Vasco lined up with Léo Jardim; PH, Robert Renan, Saldivia, and Cuaibano; Thiago Mendes, Sosa, and Lescano; Adson, Andrés Gómez, and Bruno Duarte. Boca Juniors started with Montero; Leandro Lozano, Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera, and Blanco; Ascacíbar, Delgado, and Williams Alarcón; Palacios, Leonel Flores, and Enner Valencia.

Court Rules Return Leg Takes Place at Maracanã

The return leg is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 20, at 21:30 (Brasília time). However, the location of the second leg remains uncertain. Because São Januário holds a capacity of fewer than 30,000 people—the minimum requirement mandated by Conmebol for the semifinals—Vasco wants to move the match to the Maracanã. The Fla-Flu consortium that manages the stadium opposed ceding the venue, leading to a legal battle. After a series of back-and-forth judicial reversals, a Rio court issued a new ruling determining that the match must take place at the Maracanã. The winner of the tie will advance to face either Atlético-MG or Uruguay’s Montevideo City Torque in the final.

Upcoming Schedules

Before the semifinal return leg, Vasco will face São Paulo away on Saturday, October 17, in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Boca Juniors returns to action earlier, playing against Talleres on Friday, October 16, in the Argentine Primera División Clausura.

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