Buenos Aires security logistics brought a familiar face from River Plate’s golden era back into the spotlight on Sunday night when Diego “La Roca” Moreno greeted the Vasco da Gama delegation upon their arrival in Argentina, as reported by TN. Moreno, famously known as Marcelo Gallardo’s inseparable bodyguard during his successful tenure with River Plate, is managing arrival security and logistics for the Brazilian club ahead of their high-stakes Copa Sudamericana semifinal first leg against Boca Juniors.
The most emotional moment of the airport reception arrived when Moreno crossed paths with Santiago Sosa at the hotel entrance, according to TN.
Santiago Sosa Targets First Vasco Goal Against Boca Juniors
Sosa came close to breaking his scoring duck against Botafogo when his shot rattled the crossbar, leading him to remark that converting against Boca would be very nice.
Vasco da Gama arrives in Argentina after navigating a demanding schedule in both domestic and continental competitions. In the domestic tournament, the club sits in 14th place with 35 points, recording nine wins, eight draws, and twelve losses this season. Before traveling to the federal capital, Vasco drew 0-0 against Remo on matchday 30 of the Brasileirao, missing an opportunity to climb into direct qualification spots for the next Sudamericana. In the Copa do Brasil, the Rio de Janeiro side remains in contention among the top four, where they will face Palmeiras in that round. Their path in the Sudamericana included a second-place finish in Group G with ten points from three wins, one draw, and two losses, competing in a group alongside Olimpia, Audax Italiano, and Barracas Central. After securing second place, they advanced directly to the playoffs, where they eliminated Independiente Medellín in the opening repechage round and Olimpia in the round of 16, followed by a quarterfinal aggregate victory over Independiente Santa Fe with goals from Bruno Duarte da Silva and David Correa da Fonseca.
Boca Juniors Loses Leandro Paredes to Muscle Injury
Boca Juniors will face the semifinal series without captain Leandro Paredes, who suffered a grade 2 tear in his right hamstring during a domestic fixture against Instituto, as confirmed by TN and VAVEL. Paredes entered the match as a substitute for Milton Delgado but signaled for a substitution minutes later due to physical discomfort.
Manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena confirmed in a press conference that Paredes is ruled out for Tuesday’s first leg. With Tomás Belmonte already sidelined due to a torn meniscus that threatens his availability for the remainder of 2026, Arruabarrena is expected to lean on Milton Delgado and Santiago Ascacíbar in the midfield, with Alarcón and Palacios competing for the remaining vacant spot.
Match Schedule and Semifinal Venue Uncertainty
The Copa Sudamericana semifinal first leg is scheduled for Tuesday at 21:30 local time (00:30 UTC Wednesday) at La Bombonera. The return leg will take place one week later on October 20 at the same kickoff time in Rio de Janeiro, though the exact venue remains unconfirmed due to CONMEBOL regulations requiring a minimum stadium capacity of 30,000 spectators for semifinal fixtures.
Vasco da Gama’s home ground, Estádio São Januário, holds approximately 24,155 spectators after recent updates, falling short of the continental requirement and drawing security logistics scrutiny from Rio authorities, as noted by Puntal and Yoxeneize. While the club evaluated options like the Maracanã—following a rejected judicial injunction—and explored the Nilton Santos stadium as a potential alternative, manager Pedro Emanuel expressed a preference for traditional venues over artificial turf.
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