Boca Juniors vs. Corinthians
July 5, 2022
The Stage
Boca Juniors’ famous “La Bombonera” stadium in Buenos Aires is the venue for the the match
It is the second leg of the Round of 16 tie between six-time Copa Libertadores winners, Boca Juniors, and one-time winner, Corinthians
There are reports that the night before, Boca fans set off fireworks outside the Corinthians team hotel disrupting their sleep leading up to the big match
While some fans were up to mischief outside the stadium the previous night, the fans in the stadium, Los Xeneizes—the Genoese—named after the immigrant founders of the club who came from Genoa, Italy, put on a spectacle in the stands. Their support stayed constant throughout the match
La Bombonera in the Boca colors
Key Moments
27:00 - Boca have a couple of chances in the first 15 minutes, but nothing noteworthy. Just before the half hour mark, however, a foul by Corinthians defender, Raul Gustavo, in the area is spotted by a VAR review resulting in a penalty to Boca
29:00 - After the VAR review is complete, Gustavo is given a yellow card two minutes later, and the Brazilian player, joined by his teammates spend the next three minutes arguing with the referee about both the caution and penalty
32:00 - Five minutes after play was stopped for the foul, Boca’s Benedetto finally steps up to take the penalty and blasts it against the upright. Cassio dives the wrong way, but it didn’t matter. Perhaps the gamesmanship, and delay, from Corinthians unsettled the attacker somewhat
Halftime - 45 minutes in, and despite the one-way traffic in favor of Boca, resulting in 10 shots, nothing major is created and the half ends 0-0. Corinthians, for their part, due to injuries, have adopted a defensive approach without risking much going forward
51:00 - Villa appears to be clearly hacked down in the area, but unlike the first half, Boca aren’t awarded a penalty this time
59:00 - Benedetto beats the Corinthians offside trap, but then chips his effort over. The number nine is having one of those off nights so far
89:00 - Very few chances created by either side as the match winds down. Boca's fans have tried to will their team on, but Corinthians are resolute at the back allowing even less than the first half
End of 90:00 - After 90 minutes, it’s 0-0 on the night, and on aggregate. Copa Libertadores knockout rules mean that the match will go straight to penalties without any extra time
Full time - At the end of the penalty shootout, Corinthians squeeze out a 6-5 victory. The goalkeepers Cassio (Corinthians) and Rossi (Boca), both considered to be adept at blocking penalties, each saved two. Unfortunately for the latter, his teammate, Benedetto, missed his second penalty on the night after an atrocious effort he skied well outside the goal frame. That howler, in addition to Cassio’s two saves, saw the Brazilian side edge out the victory, and book their place in the quarterfinals
Takeaways
Boca were clearly the better side, or at least the team trying to play more on the front foot. The linkup between the midfield and attack wasn’t incisive or creative enough, however, to break down the Corinthians back line. Benedetto’s struggles in front of goal didn’t help Boca either, especially when two of their three best chances in the match fell to him
Corinthians had a slightly “negative” approach, but with some key players missing including attacking threat, Adson, it was always going to be a defensive strategy. The 5-3-2, sometimes 5-4-1, held steady, and suffocated Boca’s attackers all match. It became especially apparent by the second half that Corinthians coach, Vitor Perreira, was content to gamble on penalties. Unless an opportunity to counter appeared, Corinthians didn’t risk anything in attack
Awards
Man of the match - Cassio. Slim pickings for this one after a rather drab match from both sides. That said, considering the match was eventually decided on penalties, Cassio deserves some praise because his two penalty saves during the shootout actually occurred when the momentum had slightly shifted in Boca’s favor. Thanks to the keeper, Corinthians stayed in the contest, and eventually the competition, advancing to the quarterfinals
Corinthians captain, Cassio, made the difference in the shootout
Best skill of the match - Roger Guedes’ penalty. With hardly anything of note taking place during the 90 minutes, there was a moment of brilliance during the shootout from Corinthians’ Roger Guedes. Taking the fifth penalty for Corinthians, Guedes chooses to slice the ball with the outside of his right foot sending the ball into the top corner leaving Rossi no chance. The technique, and courage to do this after he missed a regular time penalty in the first leg, is worthy of applause