CRUZEIRO DO SUL, BRAZIL — Vasco da Gama defeated Boca Juniors 1–0 at La Bombonera on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, claiming only their second victory in history against the Argentine club and breaking a 75-year winless drought dating back to 1951, CNN Brasil reported.
Adson Secures Historic Victory at La Bombonera
Midfielder Adson scored the match’s lone goal in the opening half, heading in a precise cross from Andrés Gómez into the top corner past goalkeeper Montero, R7 Esportes reported. The strike established a commanding first-leg advantage for the Rio de Janeiro club in the Copa Sudamericana semifinals, despite playing the second half with a numerical disadvantage following Gómez’s expulsion.
Vasco manager Pedro Emanuel praised his squad’s resolve after the final whistle. I said to the players something like this: if we want to demonstrate something in this competition, we had to demonstrate today,
Emanuel told reporters, as reported by R7 Esportes. I think we demonstrated that we want to write our history. We respect the past, but we want to write ours in the present.
Breaking a 75-Year Head-to-Head Taboo in Buenos Aires
Tuesday’s fixture marked just the fifth official meeting between Vasco and Boca Juniors across more than nine decades. CNN Brasil records show the clubs’ previous encounters included two Copa Libertadores matches in 2001 won by Boca, alongside two Copa Mercosul draws that same year. Before Tuesday, Vasco’s solitary win against the Buenos Aires powerhouse occurred in a 1951 friendly at the Maracanã, which ended 3–0.
With this result, Vasco joins a select group of Brazilian sides to secure knockout-stage victories inside La Bombonera. The defensive performance required sustained resilience after the interval as Boca Juniors pressed for an equalizer, hitting the woodwork twice before the visitors secured the clean sheet.
Legal Battle Looms Over Second-Leg Venue
The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 21:30 Brasília time (00:30 UTC), UOL reported. However, the venue remains contested due to an ongoing legal dispute between the club and the stadium administrators.
Because Vasco’s home venue, Estádio de São Januário, holds a capacity below the 30,000-seat minimum required by CONMEBOL for semifinal fixtures, the club sought to host the match at the Maracanã. The stadium is managed by a consortium formed by Flamengo and Fluminense, which initially opposed the request, UOL reported. Following conflicting judicial rulings through the Rio de Janeiro court system, a recent ruling favored Vasco’s petition to utilize the Maracanã, though scheduling details await final administrative confirmation.
Before the decisive continental rematch, Vasco returns to domestic action on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in the Campeonato Brasileiro against São Paulo. Boca Juniors faces Talleres on Friday, October 16, 2026, in the Argentine Primera División Clausura.
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