Xeneize has not been able to convert in the knockout phase of Libertadores for seven games. The last cry was against Racing in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Cup.
The number 7 represents good luck but also the obsession of everything Boca Juniors: reach the seventh Libertadores Cup of his story. But for the statistics, that number also bares a flaw that has been dragging the Xeneize, the seven knockout phase games in which he could not convert.
It seems incredible but it is real, the mystical cup cup of the La Ribera club seems to have taken a break in recent years if you review the most recent meetings in the “kill and kill” crossovers of the blue and gold team. A streak that could be broken next Wednesday when he receives at La Bombonera National of Uruguayalready with Edinson Cavani on court.
That night in La Boca will be fulfilled 959 days, or 2 years 7 months and 14 days, from the last cry of Xeneize in the final round of the contest that is set as the maximum objective in each season. It was on December 23, 2020, before Racingfor the quarterfinals of the Libertadores 2020: Boca had lost 1-0 in the first leg and managed to turn the series around against those then led by Sebastián Beccacece, winning the revenge at home 2-0 with goals from Edward Salvio y sebastian villaof penal.
Sebastian Villa celebrates the 2-0 in front of an empty stadium, in the midst of a pandemic. Photo: Agustin Marcarian/Pool via AP.
That team led by Miguel Angel Russothe first to face the cup with the duo Ameal y riquelme in the leadership, qualified to the semifinals, where he played Santos from Brazil. And there began the “curse” of the Xeneize.
From that night on, after the Villa prison, Boca drew 0-0 and then fell 3-0 in the return, played in Vila Belmiro, which decreed their elimination at the gates of the final of the contest, which ended up being for Palmeiras (eliminated River).
The story did not improve in the Libertadores 2021, when Boca drew 0-0 in both round of 16 matches against Atlético Mineiroharmed by arbitration rulings, in a series that was defined through penalties in favor of the Brazilians and ended with a scandal, the squad being delayed by the local police and harsh sanctions from the conmebol.
A year later, in the Libertadores 2022already with Battaglia as DT, Boca again had a Brazilian rival in the round of 16, and in this case it was Corinthians the one who defeated him by the shots from the penalty spot after two other 0-0 drawsfirst in San Pablo and then in Buenos Aires, with the addition that Darío Benedetto missed two key penaltiesone during the match and another when he could decide the pass to the quarterfinals.
Now, the Libertadores 2023 took Boca to Montevideo, to face a seasoned Nacional who tried to impose conditions on their field. The team led by Jorge Almiron He chose a somewhat defensive approach and returned to Argentina with the intention of winning at home, surely with Edinson Cavani between the headlines. In the event of a victory, it will be the passage to the quarterfinals and the return to the goal after almost a thousand days. Although another 0-0 and definition could be given by penalties, to stretch the streak… and the anguish, of course.
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2023-08-03 17:05:20
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